At first glance, The Lord of the Flies seems to be an innocent story about a group of children stranded on an island. The story, however, has a deeper meaning, as it addresses the question of if man is inherently evil, and if so what affect civilization has on a man's inherent evilness. Does civilization suppress the evil in a man, or does civilization taint the innocence of mankind? These questions are addressed in the battle between the two characters of Ralph and Jack, who represent civilization and savagery on the island, respectively.

Ralph becomes the defender of civilization on the island, as he is the only one who does not lose his mind or his life by the end of the book. This is first seen in Ralph's discovery and use of a conch shell. After finding the shell, Ralph uses the shell it call the boys...