... without any restrictions or supervision and create their own little world on the island. After the surviving students are united on hearing the conch, the students elect Ralph as their leader despite their being another contender, Jack. This sows the seed of rivalry between these 2 central characters which later blows up into a full scale war involving lure, torture, baiting and even group murders. The conch here is thus shown as a symbol of power, authority and unity. Later this very conch which in a way represented civil society is 'smashed into a thousand white fragments' thus signaling the end of civil society and the complete passage of power and authority to the savage beast of our psyche. The Fire too is shown as a dual symbol - It is this very fire that keeps the children warm, that gives them hope of rescue and cooks their ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now