The absence of the conch represents the absence of civilization. It's in this chapter that the boys give in to their savagery, culminating in Simon's brutal death. Simon is pure and represents humanity at its best, while Jack is the opposite. Simon's purity allows him to recognize the beast for what it is. Because Jack and his group have allowed their evil sides to overtake them, they are frightened by the beast and don't see it as anything but evil. The Lord of the Flies, the sow's head, symbolizes how powerful evil is, so powerful that the boys, representing society, succumb to evil rather than good. Like Satan, the Lord of the Flies is able to bring the boys to evil. Simon, the only pure soul, is Jesus, trying to save the other boys from themselves.
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