How does Golding portray outsiders?

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How does Golding portray outsiders?

     The way in which Golding portrays outsiders is to make them obvious characters.  In fact the first notable characters we meet are all outsiders, with one possible exception.  First there is Ralph, from the start we know Ralph will be something special in the book as Golding portrays him as different.  “His golden body” and general physical appearance set him aside from the rest of the boys.  Throughout the novel, Ralph remains exempt in some way from the group.  Initially he is the leader, making the decisions, calling the shots, generally he is not one of the “mob”.  While he is acting on their behalf, he is also on a different level, the chief level, and so above them due to his authority.

     Secondly we are introduced to Piggy.  Physically Piggy is very obviously an outsider, he has “fat” and “ass-mar”(asthma).  But he is also a lot different to any of the other boys on a different level, he has an outstanding intellect.  It is Piggy who devises calling the meeting, and also Piggy who has the brains behind Ralph’s leadership.  Very obviously Piggy is an outsider right from the first meeting, where he is dubbed first “Fatty” and then after prompting from Ralph “Piggy”.  Here it is shown that he is the first true outsider, as he has no true alliances, not even with Ralph.

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     Our third outsider is Simon.  In Jack’s perfectly ordered choir, Simon is the only one who faints, the only one who ‘lets the side down’, “He’s always fainting…”.  He is little respected by the rest of the group who snigger at his paleness.  Simon remains throughout the book the mystic one.  He is set apart by his desire to think and be alone, to philosophise and reason things out.  It is whilst he is doing this that he realises the truth about the “beast”, and is killed trying to impart this knowledge, almost like witch trials.

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