In the novel, "Lord of the Flies", William Golding convinces the reader that humans are inherently evil. There have been numerous amounts of situations where humans have done things that goes beyond human imagination. Many symbols develop over the course of the novel which helps the reader better portray the novel in relation with the symbols. Golding portrayed that evil within humans just needs to get the right condition to let itself out. In this scenario, Golding decides to construct a smaller world in an island that signifies the "real" world outside.
On the island the boys initially attempt to seek civilization as if there were adults supervising them; however, their immaturity led to a lack of logical actions and caused their so- called "civilization" to crumble. The symbolic conch represented democracy and civilization. The conch had a huge role in their mini civilization as it gave the user the right to speak. Furthermore, it also allowed for meetings to be held immediately when it was blown. The conch overall had a huge influence and was a symbol of order for the boys on the island. "Whoever holds the conch gets to speak", this demonstrates that the boys had a sense of wisdom and attempted to create a stable democracy when they first arrived at the island. Near the end of the novel, Golding made it clear that the boys attempted to obtain power over others which resulted in demise of society; "The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee: the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist." This is a sign of collapse of their civilization, means that their governance and sense of self-determination was destroyed. The conch had symbolized order and power at the beginning however it then demonstrates the breakdown of civilization. Golding portrays that without discipline, civilization shall crumble to pieces.