When the boys first get stranded on the island, they are unsure about how to act with no adults or rules. They feel the importance to have order on the island to survive until they can get help. To create structure the boys elected a leader and had people assigned to do certain labor around the island. The first structure came from a conch shell that Piggy and Ralph found and used to call meetings and when a person is speaking. The boys are using the structure that they experienced in Britain most likely at school and by the adults around them to help them in their situation. Ralph, the protagonist, represents the more civilized side of the island while the antagonist, Jack, shows the savagery on the island.
The conch is a symbol of civilization
The conch is a symbol of civilization