Symbolism in Lord of the Flies To help his readers gain a better understanding of the message in his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the literary tool symbolism. He uses this tool liberally in two important areas, those being objects and people. This novel incorporates countless symbols, but this paper will discuss some of the most widely recognized ones, beginning with the objects. Golding uses symbolic objects to convey his opinion of the necessity of structure for people to function in a group. Probably the most important object in the novel is the conch shell. The shell is found by Ralph on the beach shortly after the boys arrive on the island. Th