Law and rules shape the foundation for civilization which is necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in order. The lawless country of Somalia in East Africa demonstrates that without an affective form of government and the restraints of civilization, the behavior of people will regress to their savage beginnings. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the theme of civilization to savagery through the usage of symbolism to portray the premise that children are savages by nature and without adult guidance or supervision; their entire darker side will manifest itself in full force. The consequential regression of the boys from civilization to savagery is symbolized by the use of the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses.

First of all, the conch shell manages to demonstrate civilization to savagery through its ability to establish order to build a civilization, lose its power and deteriorate civilization, and shatter to eliminate civilization. In the beginning, the conch is used to establish and uphold order and peace on the island, playing a key role in forming and maintaining a civilization. Ralph uses the conch and his leadership to summon the others, have meetings and delegate positions, assign power, and set rules such as: “[Giving] the conch to the next person to speak” (Golding 31). By adhering to the set of rules regarding the conch shell, the boys still maintain their civilized way of living back at home where there is the existence of government and laws to be adhered to regarding to the existence of social order. However, as time passes by, the conch begins to lose its power and significance and boys begin to succumb to savagery. When Ralph tries to convince the other boys to return to his tribe instead of joining Jack’s tribe by appealing the conch shell as a symbol of authority, Jack denies its significance by saying: “the conch doesn’t count at this end of the island” (166). Without an adult authority figure to impose the laws and rules that the boys have created, they would eventually ignore them, and reveal their savagery entirely. Ultimately, when the conch shatters with Piggy’s death, any sign of civilization shatters along with it. Rather than feel remorseful over the death of Piggy, Jack revel in his newfound power and loudly announces that he’s chief. Accordingly, the twins are forced to join Jack’s tribe and Piggy’s death sets into motion the hunt for Ralph by a bunch of ruthless savages. To sum up, the white conch shell helps to display the beginning of a small civilization, the gradual deterioration of this civilization, and finally the destruction of all civilization on the island.

Secondly, fire relates to the theme of civilization to savagery by representing order, a sense of hope and commonsense, and the inevitable savagery. To begin, order is one of the first things established once the fire is built. Contrary to the conch that directly symbolizes the government and order of the island, the fire gives the boys a reassuring sense that keeps them, especially Ralph, constantly motivated for their survival. Through this reassurance, Ralph is able to remain an ideal leader and make rational decisions for the most part. Next, the fire’s initial purpose, to get rescue, provides a sense of hope and commonsense for the boys. When the fire goes out, Ralph’s hope and reason diminishes as well and he admits to Piggy that sometimes even he does not care: “Supposing I got like the other – not caring. What ‘ud become of us?” (153). Soon enough, Ralph’s innate fears come true as the island turns from a civilized society into savagery. In the end, the fire develops into a representation of the anarchy and evil that exist within each of the boys. During his hunt to kill Ralph, Jack attempts to smoke Ralph out of his hiding place by setting the entire forest on fire. Ironically, the fire that is set due their savage nature wind up becoming their savior. In short, the dimming fire signifies the boys’ gradual descent into savagery.

Lastly, Piggy’s glasses displays civilization to savagery through their symbolism of the intelligence and rationality found in a civilization, their slow deterioration as civilization crumbles, and the stealing of Piggy's glasses which represent the loss of intellectualism to savagery. At the beginning, Piggy’s glasses symbolize reason and rationality, portraying the wearer as one who is intelligent, rational and sensible. Piggy possesses the qualities of a civilized being that functions in a society bound by laws and rules because of his adult-like appearance and his ability to rationalize and assess the conflicts on the island very thoroughly. However, the boys unknowingly remove the rational thought to which they are accustomed to by ignoring and excluding Piggy from daily activities. Furthermore, as the condition of the glasses begins to worsen, so does the civilization within the island. The glasses become soiled with dirt, with the lens broken and dirtied by the sins of the boys: “Jack smack(s) Piggy’s head (and his) glasses (fly) off and (tinkle) on the rocks” (75). As Piggy`s vision begins to diminish, he literally becomes blind while the boys are metaphorically blinded to reason and rationality. Lastly, the final stage of the glasses occurs when they get stolen by Jack’s tribe. Any civilization becomes lost to savagery once Jack “take(s) fire from the others” (178) by stealing Piggy’s glasses. This crime leads to the eventual murder of Piggy and the surrendering of the island to complete savagery. Overall, the entire purpose of Piggy’s glasses, to symbolize intellectual and social order, is destroyed by savages

The consequential regression of the boys from civilization to savagery is symbolized by the use of the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the theme of civilization to savagery through the usage of symbolism to portray the premise that children are savages by nature and without adult guidance or supervision; their entire darker side will manifest itself in full force. The lawless country of Somalia in East Africa demonstrates that without an affective form of government and the restraints of civilization, the behavior of people will regress to their savage beginnings. Law and rules shape the foundation for civilization which is necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in order.