Lord of the Flies is a novel that describes the abandonment of civilization by a group of boys and the transformation into violence and ferocity. The characters in the book quickly become like animals, acting on impulse and lacking reason. The respectable English boys arrive on the island all respectable and refined, to the point of establishing their own government. However, as the story progresses, the boys soon forget their past and unleash the wild within them. In Lord of the Flies, as the boys become sensitive people, their appearance, the shell and Piggy's glasses begin to decay as well. When the boys first arrive on the island, the reader is introduced to Piggy and Ralph, boys who quickly become the leaders and intellectual boys of the island. As they begin exploring, spotting something in the water, “Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing towards the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the fern weeds” (Golding 10). Piggy claims it is a rock but upon inspecting it, Ralph discovers a conch shell which Piggy thinks can be blown as a signal. This shell started life as a conch that Ralph spotted in the lagoon. However, it began to grow in importance to the point where the person holding the conch during meetings was given the right to speak. This being the case, it became a symbol of civilization and order. After Jack fails to start a rebellion, he “lays the conch with great care in the grass at [Jack's] feet” (Golding 133). The conch is so respected that even someone who tries to fight against society and structure, does not damage the conch but, instead, carefully places it at Ralph's feet. The conch not only gives the right to speak, but also allows meetings to be held... in the center of the card... new conflicts between him and Jack, the narrator describes Jack as: "The chief led them, trotting briskly , exulting in his achievement. Now he was truly a leader; and he made slashing motions with his spear. From his left hand hung Piggy's broken glasses” (Golding 179). and logic but rather became a symbol of how far the boys had come from civilization in Lord of the Flies, the characters in the book quickly become like animals, acting on impulse and lack of reason and the boys abandoned civilization and transformed. in savages. As the story progresses, the boys soon forget their past and release the savage within them In Lord of the Flies, as the boys degrade themselves as sensitive people, their appearance, the shell and the Piggy's glasses mirror this collapse..