Ralph blowing on the conch to call an assembly of the people on the island symbolizes order and democracy. The conch holds a sense of authority and leadership. The one who is holding it has the right to speak. It helps maintain order so things will not go out of hand causing chaos on the island. When young children are stranded on an unknown island without any adults to supervise, the situation tends to create problems. Having order is important to survival as well as getting rescued, as it is in the situation in the novel. Symbolizing democracy, the conch organizes a system so it brings the people together. The leader, holding the conch, is important because the person holds together and has the responsibility to manage the community. They tell what each must do to keep things organized. Each needs to obey the leader in order for things to be well.
When Jack and his hunting crew came back from spending all day hunting a wild pig, things got out of control. They began to act immature like savages at their little night feast. The hunters would not help in building shelters or keep the fire alive. All they would do was hunt all day, every day. Ralph noticed things needed to be done such, as shelters needed to be built in case of a storm. "I"m calling an assembly." "With the conch. I"m calling a meeting even if we have to go on into the dark. Down on the platform. When I blow it. Now." (Golding 75). Ralph decided to take leadership, blow the conch and call an assembly to talk about the situation. Ralph tries to talk to Jack, the leader of the hunting crew, about helping out with other survival needs. He tries to keep order on the island and stop the others from acting immature.
The conch shows how one little piece of shell can be so powerful and symbolize order.