We live in a stable society, but it is much more venerable than we think. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding gives us a good example of this. The novel is about a group of British boys from a fully established society crashed on to an island without any adult, they try to have rules and create a society on their own. Ralph, the oldest boy on the island becomes the leader of the boys. Piggy is the most intelligent boy in the island. Jack is a power-hungary boy who wants to be in control. The novel starts with a civilized group of boys but slowly progress to savagery. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the character Piggy to show the reader how venerable society is. Society could easily fall apart if nobody wants to make it work and savagery will take over.

The first example William Golding gives to the reader to show that society is venerable is through the breaking of Piggy’s glasses. When a ship went by the island and Jack and his hunters were hunting the signal fire on the top of the mountain was out because Sameric was participating in the hunt. Jack and Ralph got into a verbal argument. Piggy also joined in the argument, Jack, who did not like Piggy from the start, smacks Piggy and the glasses falls off and break on the ground. Piggy said ‘”I got to have them specs. Now I only got one eye.’” (Golding, 71) Piggy is the only one on the island that has glasses; William Golding uses this symbol to show that Piggy is the one that sees differently. He can see the truth behind everything, he is the most intelligent boy on the island, and he also represents the scientific side of society. When his glasses broke society starts to falls apart.

Another example William Golding gives us to tell that society can be easily broken is by using the scene when the conch shell broke. When the boys first got on the island, Piggy finds a shell that can make a loud sound. Piggy gives the shell to Ralph and told him to call the others. They use the conch to make rules about who can talk. The shell is a symbol for laws, powers, and rules in society. The conch itself is a protection for an animal that is soft and venerable, just like laws are used to protect people in a society. But the shell itself is could be easily broken, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding, 181). Once the conch shell broke so did society and Piggy. Piggy is closely tied with the conch shell, the shell give power to Ralph, which protects Piggy from being harmed by Jack. Once the shell is broken, Ralph has no more power, and the savagery takes over the island, even Ralph’s own life is in danger.

The last example Golding give us on why he thinks society is venerable is when the single fire goes out easily with out care. Piggy’s glass helped to start the fire in the first place; this farther reinforced the idea of him being the scientific side of him. The fire is the most important thing on the island. It symbolizes the society and civilization. Ralph said “‘The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going?”‘ (Golding, 80) The fire also keeps them together and on task so they could be rescued. When the first time the fire was out, it is also the time Jack broke Piggy’s glass. This shows that without the fire society cease to exist, they soon turn in to savages. Without trying to keep the fire up and work on being civilized, everyone will eventually become savages.

Without people working together to stay in a society, it would ultimately be taken over by savagery. Piggy is the one that keeps the society together. Piggy finds the shell and gives it to Ralph to use as a tool to make rules and law, Piggy glasses also started the fire of hope and society, and with Piggy’s death society falls apart. When Piggy’s glass is broke by the hand of savagery the started to progress into savagery. Then the conch shell broke, laws and rules no longer applies to the boys on the island. When the fire that symbolize society is gone, the society gone with it. In order to have a organized society knowledge needs to be passed down form generation to generation.