The Lord of the Flies symbolizes?

Two major symbols in The Lord of the Flies are the conch shell and the signal fire.

Firstly, the conch shell is a symbol of order. Ralph uses the conch shell to direct meetings: only the person holding the conch may speak. In this manner, some order is brought to the boys' meetings. However, order and democracy are soon questioned and, after the conch is smashed, most of the boys begin their descent into madness, becoming savages. The smashing of the conch is symbolic of the loss of order and democracy on the island.

Secondly, the signal fire is a symbol of hope. The boys believe that the fire is their only means of being rescued; they hope it will be able to alert planes or ships passing by the island. When the boys are attending to the fire, getting off the island is their main concern and they believe that the fire will save them. However, as interest veers away from the fire, it is as though the boys lose hope of rescue. When the signal fire is finally extinguished, it is perceived that the boys have lost sight of rescue and have instead accepted their new, compromised life on the island.