How Does Golding Show the Breakdown of Civilisation on the Island in 'Lord of the Flies'?

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How does Golding show the breakdown of civilisation on the island? Golding shows the breakdown of civilisation on the island in 'The Lord of the Flies' several different ways. The first way is through the conch. When the conch is first introduced, it strongly symbolises the values of the boys societies and civilisation. The conch is used to call meetings between the boys, and they are forced to treat the boys holding the conch during these meetings with respect. The are also not able to talk unless they are holding the conch. The breakdown of society is shown through the conch as it is first described as a 'deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink' but later in the novel, becomes more fragile and worn and 'bleached yellow and pink to near-white and transparency' showing it is wearing away, therefore symbolising the breakdown of civilisation. As the novel continues to progress, the conch becomes increasingly irrelevant to the boys, specifically Jack, until is gets destroyed during Piggy's death in chapter 11, showing the complete loss of civilisation on the island. Another way Golding shows the breakdown of civilisation is through Piggy's glasses. Piggy's glasses are an asset to the island, as it is used to start fires and help Piggy see. Piggy's glasses are used to represent intelligence, wisdom and being able to see clearly. This can be used to explain why Piggy takes the sensible and mature side as he understands the importance of civilisation. Later in the book, the breakdown in civilisation is shown through the glasses as Jack breaks the lens when he pushes Piggy and eventually steals them, showing the split in groups and the loss of intelligence on the island, causing the breakdown of civilisation. Another way Golding shows the breakdown of civilisation is through Simon's death. Simon has returned to the group of boys, during a

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