In his book, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbols to give power and meaning to his novel. Golding uses symbols to illustrate the main theme of the novel, which is the struggle between good and evil. “All human beings have a dark side that can cause the collapse of individual or community moral standards if this dark side takes over reason and right thinking.” (Henning Field, “An Overview of Lord of the Flies.”) The use of the major and minor symbols clarifies the complicated subject matter of the book. Others are minor symbols that often go unnoticed. They do not interfere with the plot, but add and clarify the idea and meaning of the novel. Without the use of symbols Lord of the Flies would be just another adventure story. Instead, Golding uses symbolism to support and explain the dark side of humanity and how it affects one's moral principles. The main symbols in Lord of the Flies are introduced to clarify the main ideas of the novel. They run throughout the novel and are connected to the plot. The seashell is the first main symbol of the novel. When Piggy and Ralph find the conch, Piggy shows Ralph how to blow into the conch to find out if there were any others on the island. This idea is a symbol of Piggy's intelligence. The shell is described as fascinating, delicate and precious. The value of the shell will be seen later in the story. “If there hadn't been the shell, there probably would have been no reunion, no tension and no conflict between good and evil and the boys would have remained missing on the island.” (Halder 139) The conch is a symbol of civilization as it has been used many times to bring everyone together. It is also a symbol of the order that society gains from the democratic process. It symbolizes the need we have for a society with c...... middle of paper ......ile on the island. However, it also represents a war society. The boys are saved from the greenery of the island that has made them savage by an adult who represents a war society. When the boys are rescued they are no longer “green”. They saw and became as evil as those in the adult world. William Golding wrote “Lord of the Flies” after World War II. He wrote the book to demonstrate that it is wrong to believe that evil only exists in other parts of the world. It exists in every part of the world including our country. Evil existed in the adult world from which children ran away. It also existed in the world they created on the island. Through the use of symbolism, Golding demonstrated that all human beings have a dark side which, if left unchecked, can cause the disintegration of individual moral standards or society..