- "The Lord of The Flies" is set on a deserted island. On this island, a group of children -- all boys under the age of 13 -- are left alone to survive after a shipwreck in which the adults are killed. Ralph, who takes leadership of the group, works to create some kind of order, and other characters, such as Piggy, Simon and Jack, also assume leadership or helping roles. The "littluns" are the younger children who move together and as the novel goes on, they gradually lose their sense of individuality or even names.
- The conch, an enormous shell found on the island, is the object that Ralph first uses to gather the children together after they have shipwrecked. Ralph later uses the conch to call meetings, and it becomes a symbol for civilization and order because the boy holding the shell during a meeting is allowed to speak. As the novel progresses, the shell becomes less important, and it is eventually destroyed, signaling that the last vestiges of civilization have gone.
- The smaller children in the group, called the Littluns throughout the novel, represent the "mass" of society, those who do what they are told and do not take charge and allow others to make decisions for them. The Littluns can also represent "commoners," while the older boys in the novel represent the rulers or aristocracy of a culture.
- The Littluns obey the conch because it is first wielded by an authority -- Ralph is put in charge of the group, and when he calls, the Littluns come. This represents their willingness to be led and to follow whoever is in charge. Later in the novel, when Jack desires the conch shell and begins to speak against Ralph, the Littluns begin to follow him, believing that he is more powerful and able to protect them. The conch, for the Littluns, represents the call of those in power.
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