LOTF Response

Passage
The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s after it has been killed. Then the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone. (p. 181)

Analysis
This is the passage where Piggy dies, and the conch is destroyed. Symbolistically, this is probably the most abundant scene in the book. Piggy, who symbolized wisdom and the last shred of civilized manner among the boys, is now dead. The conch, which symbolized the civilized world and its order, is now in thousands of pieces. My prediction for the rest of the story is that the boys, somehow, will become even more wild and savage. Ralph and Samneric are the only boys that still want to be rescued, and the rest just don't care. Remeber that wildfire at the beginning of the book, when the boys weren't really organized yet, not fully? I think, now that they're not organized at all, they will set fire to the entire island.

The narrator's tone in this passage is also something to look at. What should be the most emotional scene in the entire book is just kind of monotone. Symbolizing the end of civilization within the boys, this should be one of the more heartfelt passages, but it's really not. When the conch is destroyed, that's all that is said. It's as if the conch had no real value to anyone, even the narrator. The death of the beloved character Piggy is written kind of casually. The narrator is pretty much saying "Yeah, Piggy died" with a couple more details. It makes probably the most important scene in the book seem like it wasn't a big deal at all.