Authors often use symbols to convey a theme or main idea to the reader. In Lord of the Flies, a group of British schoolchildren find themselves stranded on an island during World War III. They are left to their own devices on the island, without any adults. The boys must create a civilization for themselves or risk being consumed by savagery. Lord of the Flies uses symbols like the conch shell, the pig's head, and even the boys themselves to convey the theme that without civilization and rules, we become savages. The author, William Golding, immediately makes the conch an important symbol. . At first, it is used to bring the boys together by Raplh and determine who is speaking. This shows that the conch is the symbol of civilization. But then some boys start to turn into savages and people like Jack stop obeying the conch, "And the conch doesn't count on this end of the island" (150). This leads to the collapse and collapse of their civilization. With no civilization to keep us on the moral path, the boys begin to become mean and wild, eventually killing Piggy and destroying the conch, the final nail in the coffin of civilization. Once this symbol is destroyed, the boys become even wilder and treat Ralph like a pig: “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends” (190). In conclusion, without the authority of the conch as a symbol of civilization, the boys turn into savages. Although this is an important symbol, there are others as well. The pig's head is one of the most important symbols in history. The head is the opposite of the conch, it represents chaos, savagery, anarchy and evil. When Simon speaks to the pig's head, he is called the Lord of the Flies. The flies are the boys of the island and their common lord is... middle of paper ...... round in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible but strong, was the taboo of the old life" (56). This shows that Roger is gradually freeing himself from the restrictions of his old life and its old rules. The characters are extremely important and they represent civilization , humanity, and the breakdown of that into savagery The Lord of the Flies conveys the theme that without civilization we would be turned into savages using symbols like the conch, the pig's head and the boys represent civilization, the. savagery and humanity the laws that control us and protect us from savagery and the collapse of civilization. The pig's head represents our savagery and our desire to commit evil. human for whom symbols are important parts of the stories authors to convey their theme to their reader..