What is the significance and meaning of the shattered conch in Lord of the Flies?

In
chapter 11, , , andapproach Castle Rock and demand thatreturn Piggy's glasses. Ralph and Jack
proceed to engage in a physical altercation, and Piggy shouts at the top of his lungs to end the
brawl. Piggy holds onto the conch as he addresses Jack and his savage followers. Piggy proceeds
to tell the boys that they are acting like a crowd of kids and asks if it is better to remain
sensible like Ralph or dress like painted Indians. Piggy then asks:

Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up? (Golding
259)

As Piggy is addressing the boys, Ralph hears the
sound of a massive boulder rolling down the side of the cliff directly toward Piggy. Before
Piggy can move out of the way, he is struck by the boulder and the conch breaks into "a
thousand white fragments."

The destruction of the conch is a significant
moment and indicates the point of no return. Throughout the novel, the conch symbolically
represented civilization, democracy, and order. Therefore, its destruction symbolically
represents the loss of hope and the end of civilization on the uninhabited tropical island.
Without the conch, order and civility do not exist on the island, where anarchy reigns
supreme.

Following Piggy's death, Jack and his savages begin hunting Ralph
throughout the island, and there is no longer a possibility of creating a functioning, civil
society.