The destruction of the conch symbolizes all civilization escaping the island. The conch was something that had always represented unity among the boys. Whenever Ralph blew the conch, the boys would gather for an assembly and they would follow the rules (no one speaks unless they are holding the conch, for example). The destruction of the conch, however, means that nothing on the island will be the same ever again. This had already started foreshadowing this event when Jack Broke into his own tribe
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Alexsis Powell
12/19/2012 07:19:03 am
I agree with Olivia especially when she mentioned the civilization is escaping the island because the conch, which was a symbol of unity is demolished.
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Alex Barina
12/19/2012 11:33:41 am
I agree with Olivia the conch shell symbolizes unity so when it was destroyed it symbolized the end of civilization and the anarchy that will follow
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Corrina Mckelvey
12/19/2012 06:40:05 am
I think that the breaking of the conch symbolizes the defeat of any authority ralph had left and that ralph's former structured society/ order is destroyed. The conch at the beginning of the book represented civilization and order in the group of boys. When the conch is broken by the boulder being rolled down the hill, it shows that all the civil instinct of the boys is gone.
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Olivia (continued)
12/19/2012 06:40:35 am
and everyone joined him. Civilization was already disappearing and the destruction of the conch was just the icing on the cake...or the apple in pig's mouth in this instance. 🐷
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Corrina Mckelvey
12/19/2012 06:42:53 am
Along with what i said i also agree with what olvia said. the conch also assembled and united the boys for meetings and just in general united them. But now that the conch is gone so is the unity of the boys.
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Gianni Jannke
12/19/2012 07:47:12 am
great point olivia. the destruction of the conch is really just the final strand of organization going away
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Alexsis Powell
12/19/2012 07:17:05 am
The breaking of the conch symbolizes the end of a structured fair society because of a defeat. Throughout the entire book the conch has symbolized a structured society, such as when it called the assembly's and allowed one person to talk and be heard, and now that the conch is broken it symbolizes the end of the "more" perfect society. The significance of breaking the conch is also that it shows that Jack has achieved his goal by gaining all the power. Piggy is dead, samneric are captured, Ralph is injured, and the conch is demolished proving there is nothing significant left to Ralphs tribe.
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Xavier Edwards
12/19/2012 07:30:40 am
I agree with the others but I also have my ownidea as to what it symbloizes.
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Gianni Jannke
12/19/2012 07:43:26 am
When the conch shatters, it symbolizes the final form of organization being lost. The last point of unity is lost forever. Since the first chapter the conch has been there as the "power in everyone." With the conch you could call an assembly, or have the right to speak at an assembly. The conch held the group together with organization and unity. Now that the conch is gone, the last bit of organization and peace the group held on to is also gone. The fact that Jack's group was behind the destruction of the conch also symbolizes that he just continues to contribute to all the problems and the tensions on the island. Chaos is finally settling in, starting with the destruction of the conch.
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Xavier Edwards
12/19/2012 07:46:41 am
I think that the breaking of the conch symbolizes the breaking of sanity and how those who thought they were above it, let the lord of the flies the "devil" seep in to the cracks left vacant by their long gone sanity. Since Jack had thought he was above the conch and had left the crack filling sanity of the civilized conch, Jack's lord of the flies crept up on him first and like the worst virus his devil or lord of the flies had turned into a plague killing the slightest moral of sanity, except the lucky four, well not so lucky but certainly life saving to people who are ruthless and will kill on command without hesitation. It is ironic, really, how the breaking of the conch can change so much in a matter of seconds. Jack realized Ralph's goal of saving them was over so he wanted to end Ralph so he could stay in power as his fellow savages starved and died praising him like a god for filling their holes not with sanity but with the satiny of the lord of the flies. That is why the conch is important.
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Shannon Barrett
12/19/2012 08:01:10 am
Good point Xavier, i never thought about how Jack's thought process was working to stay in power.
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Shannon Barrett
12/19/2012 08:05:59 am
I think the conch breaking symbolizes all rules and society not being there. Jack had taken over all the boys, except Ralph, and controlled them and got them to do whatever he says, he even says that they will. There is no structure left, they just do whatever Jack wants, which is acting savagely because there not being any other rules other than to do whatever Jack, or "the chief", says. The structure of society is just gone in seconds, like the conch.
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Karina Zhao
12/19/2012 08:55:03 am
The breaking of the conch shell symbolizes the destruction of all civilization and order on the island. As from the beginning, the conch represented unity and cooperation within the boys. Ralph would blow the shell, and the rest of the boys would come running over. During their gatherings and meetings, the one holding the conch, had the power to speak, while the rest were supposed to remain quiet. However when Roger sends the rock tumbling down, and it smashes the shell into smithereens, this shows that there is no longer organization or respect or anymore British-boy customs, without the conch.
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Nicole Reinschmidt
12/19/2012 08:57:06 am
I agree with everyone who commented. When the conch shell broke, that symbol of order and the old ways of civilization disappeared. It was the final, clear action that ended the rules and order that Ralph tried to maintain. It was sort of like a revolution; the old ways were questioned, and people rebelled for another way of living.
Piggy had depended on the security of having something that reminded him of life before the island, that conch shell. It's no surprise to me that when the conch shell broke, so did Piggy.
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Anna Tworzyanski
12/19/2012 11:11:51 am
I agree with Nicole that it's no surprise Piggy broke with the conch shell. Piggy has been the internal compass of the civilization the entire novel. What's right and what's wrong is agreed upon by societal rules. Conch shell is a symbol of societal rules, conch shell breaks, no more compass, no more Piggy.
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Anna Tworzyanski
12/19/2012 11:09:30 am
It was a symbol of the society molting. When an arthropod grows too large, the shell cracks down the middle and a new one is made. So, the society they relied on from home grew too small to house their conscience-less ways and it broke. Like a hermit crab, they now need to find a new shell. So, it also foreshadows that the society from back home is going to build a new one for them. Which means they have to be rescued.
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Morgan WIcken
12/19/2012 12:33:55 pm
The breaking of the conch was like the distruction of their socioty. It has already fallen apart but the conch was somehting that held it together just alittle bit. When the conch broke it was all of the calm and order was completely demolished. This also was an important part because this was the part that built Jacks "empire" . Jack was held back by the conch it was the only thing that held him back from complete power. However, now that is gone he can have control over Ralph who was the original leader.
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Victoria Paradise
1/1/2013 02:26:33 am
I think the destruction of the conch symbolizes the destruction of society and whatever order that had remained before. The conch, like Anna said, symbolized the skeleton of society and the skeleton was shattered, and with it, the governement they had established, and the remaining sanity on the island. When the conch broke, the only sense of power they had known on the island broke too, and afterwards, everything erupted into chaos. Also right after the conch was shattered, Piggy was killed, and with him went common sense. When the conch shattered, so did their society.
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Raeghan O'Connor
1/1/2013 06:19:41 am
I think that the shattering of the conch symbolizes the destruction of any civilization left on the island. The conch was what originally brought all the boys together and the first rule was based on the conch. As the boys began to disregard the conch more, things became less civilized.
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Lexie Vetrano
1/1/2013 07:23:52 am
The destruction of the conch shell symbolizes the fact that their whole society finally collapsed. In the beginning, no one would speak unless the had the conch shell. As time went by, the conch shell became less and less important as Jack became more and more powerful. Therefore, Jack doesn't represent a civilized nation, he represents destruction. It was only a matter of time before the society fully collapsed, and that was the moment that the conch shell was shattered to dust.
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Yue Ting
8/1/2015 11:18:34 pm
This shows that the power of the conch rule had shattered.The protective powers of civilization breaks down with the abolished of Ralph's authority and conch rule. As the conch symbolises rule and order, hence civilisation, the demolishing of the conch causes the civilised world to fade, leading to a blurring line between civilised and savagery. Furthermore, it also foreshadows the lost of civilisation in the absence of social norms, rules and control, which means no restrictions and thus leads to savagery.
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no
2/1/2017 08:35:46 pm
no
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meh
10/24/2017 03:40:39 pm
lol who else hated the book, and resorted to the internet for their AP language paper xD
The sole destruction of the symbol of civilisation, the conch, within the novel portrays the regression of society when facing extreme circumstance – the use of children makes this message more potent. The shell itself also represents Golding's belief of civilisation on the island, rare and brittle, therefore hard to find and fragile to maintain.
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