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Everything you have can be ripped away at any moment. These kids were a bunch of prep school kids, seen to be very polite, moderate, and had great well-being. As soon as any adults and rules were taken away their entire demeanor changed. Golding’s message was that everyone doesn't really know what to do with themselves once rules are taken away. As if, rules are the only thing holding people together. The boys used special items to hold order, they slowly drove themselves to craziness, and they made up certain things to be scared of and symbolize the extremities of their island life.
“And in the middle of them, with a filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” These lines from the end of Chapter 12 occur near the close of the novel after the boys encounter the naval officer, who appears as if out of nowhere to save them. When Ralph sees the officer, his sudden realization that he is safe and will be returned to civilization plunges him into reflective despair. The rescue is not a moment of joy, for Ralph realizes that, although he is saved from death on the island, he will never be the same. He has lost his innocence and learned about the evil that lurks within all human beings. Here, Golding explicitly connects the sources of Ralph’s despair to two of the main themes of the novel: the end of innocence and the “darkness of man’s heart,” the presence of savage instincts lurking within all human beings, even at the height of civilization. As soon as any rules and punishments were taken away. The boys turned into completely different people, completely new kids.
In the beginning, the conch is a symbol of the union because it reunites the boys from when they are scattered around the island. Once the boys are all gathered in a group, the conch then changes to symbolize power and leadership. Ralph is the one who blew the conch, so he is seen as the leader of the group based on the power the conch seems to hold. The conch also represents a turn to talk within the group. Using the conch as a way to communicate fairly in the group, helps keep order within the group. ''Then I'll give him the conch.' 'Conch?' 'That's what these shells are called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he's speaking.'' (33). In the first chapter, the boys decide to vote for a leader. Everyone in the choir votes for Jack, but all the other boys vote for Ralph because he blew the conch. To keep Jack happy, Ralph says that the choir will be hunters and Jack will lead them. In chapter two, Ralph says that without adults, they'll have to take care of themselves. He makes a rule that whoever holds the conch at meetings gets to speak. Another example of symbolism is, much like Piggy's character, his glasses represent the intellectual part of society. His glasses, however, represent using that intellect in a new society created from scratch. When the boys figure out to use Piggy's glasses to start the fire, it shows how they were able to think rationally for a moment and utilize what they have to make something they need. Also, Piggy's glasses also represent a useful tool that they can use while on the island. Besides making the fire on the mountain, they were also able to cook their food by being able to make a fire with Piggy's glasses. 'Jack pointed suddenly. 'His specs -- use them as burning glasses!' Piggy was surrounded before he could back away. 'Here -- let me go!'...Ralph moved the lenses back and forth, this way and that, till a glossy white image of the declining sun lay on a piece of rotten wood. Almost at once a thin trickle of smoke rose up and made him cough. Jack knelt too and blew gently, so that the smoke drifted away, thickening, and a tiny flame appeared. The flame, nearly invisible at first in that bright sunlight, enveloped a small twig, grew, was enriched with color, and reached up to a branch that exploded with a sharp crack. The flame flapped higher and the boys broke into a cheer' (40-41). In chapter Four it states, Piggy and even some of the hunters start yelling at Jack. Jack, humiliated and angry, hits Piggy. Piggy's glasses fly off, breaking a lens. Jack mocks Piggy and everyone laughs.
The beast represents the inner savagery of the boys and all mankind. The boys personify it by calling it a giant snake and mistaking a dead parachutist for it. Simon is the only boy who understands that they, the boys, are actually the beast. The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys stands for the primal instinct of savagery that exists within all human beings. The boys are afraid of the beast, but only Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them. As the boys grow more savage, their belief in the beast grows stronger. By the end of the novel, the boys are leaving its sacrifices and treating it as a totemic god. The boys’ behavior is what brings the beast into existence, so the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast seems to become. The boys also stand as symbols: Simon represents goodness; Ralph and Piggy symbolize law and order; Jack and Roger stand for evil; the big kids represent the ruling classes; and the littluns symbolize common folk. The use of symbols is crucial to this book because Golding shows us that an item is more powerful than it first seems.
The setting is extremely important. It is important to know that boys cannot turn to adults for help. Being totally isolated on an island, with no adult supervision and discipline, the boys give in to savage-like behavior. The setting is important in that the boys have to hunt for food. There is no food, except for fruit, on the island. The boys are forced to search for food. It is during the hunt that the boys become savage-like. In the beginning, it was difficult for Jack to kill a pig. He let the first pig getaway, more or less, out of fear of killing it. As he begins to kill pigs on a regular basis, he becomes more savage. The setting cooperates with his intentions which are becoming more evil. The boys are stranded on an island, they are exposed to dangers that cause the boys to abandon discipline. For example, the beast or imagination of the beast is becoming a part of the setting. Jack and his hunters become savage-like to contend with the beast. The setting offers Jack and his hunters an outlet to show their savage behavior. Indeed, the setting is ideal for exposing the boys' savagery. These examples lead back to Golding’s message that everyone doesn't really know what to do with themselves once rules are taken away. As if, rules are the only thing holding people together. The boys struggled with the lack of rules and felt relief when they were found although their lives will never be the same.
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