One of the first characters to emerge as a distinct personality is Piggy, who represents law and order. One of Piggy's first inspirations is brought about by the sight of a conch in the water. Piggy's first instinct is for organization, and the conch which he spots becomes a symbol of the fragile system of order that the boys create. The degree to which he values this vision of order is shown by his reverence for the conch, which he attempts to protect from Jack later on in the book. Even when the majority of the boys have abandoned the original, organized society, Piggy clings to the shell, stubbornly believing that the beauty of order cannot be denied. In fact, most of the boys, while they may be attracted to the idea of an orderly society, are not willing to sacrifice their personal interests and freedom to submit to organization. Although Piggy clearly has the best ideas of anyone on the island, he is physically and personally unattractive to the other boys. Piggy's intellectual vision of law, order, and a purpose beyond the immediate physical necessities are not as compelling as Jack's vision of an unordered freedom in a society based on physical strength and physical needs.
From the beginning of Lord of the Flies, Jack has demonstrated a willingness to ignore social agreements in order to take what he personally wants. As the ground rules of the boys' society are being determined at the first meeting, Jack has no desire to consider the qualities necessary in a leader or to submit his candidacy for leadership to general scrutiny. He simply declares that he should be chief. When the boys decide to elect Ralph instead, Jack is only appeased by being placed in charge of his choir, who are now the hunters. Jack proclaims that his hunters will take care of the fire as well as the hunting, but once he becomes involved in hunting, he ignores his responsibility to the group in order to focus on what gives him personal gratification.
