At the beginning of the novel, Ralph and Piggy spot a creamy white shell in the lagoon, and Ralph immediately retrieves it. Piggy excitedly exclaims that the magnificent white shell is called a conch and tells Ralph that the shell is valuable and expensive. Both boys cherish the conch, and Ralph ends up clearing the sand out of it before he attempts to blow into it. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Ralph blows into the conch, which makes a loud noise throughout the island. The other boys hear the sound of the conch and end up arriving at the platform on the beach. When the boys assemble for the first time, they are all attracted to the conch and even choose Ralph to be their leader, because he is holding it. The conch becomes a symbol of civilization, authority, and democracy throughout the novel after Ralph makes a rule stating that whoever possesses the conch during assemblies cannot be interrupted. Ralph also blows the conch as a signal for the boys to assemble, and they immediately obey it at the beginning of the novel.