In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses different symbols to represent life, society, and the very essence of humanity. Golding uses figurative language and detailed descriptions to provide the reader with a clear understanding of what he wants certain objects to represent. Golding, even though his meanings are clear, uses subtlety to convey his points of view in the story. He never comes right out and says what representations he made, you have to figure that out for yourself. But his point gets through never the less with the help of Golding's representational language

The book starts with a plane crashing, and the boys assembling on the beach after Ralph blew the Conch. Ralph had found the Conch and after Piggy's words of wisdom he blew it. The first meeting represents the start of their society on the island. Even at the beginning there was a power struggle between Ralph and Jack. Ralph the natural leader and Jack the savage hunter.

The biggest symbol in the book is the Conch. It represents the civilization that they left behind. The Conch also represents law and order as well as organization. Ralph is the biggest supporter of the Conch because he knows that without it, the tribe will fall apart and die.