How does Golding use the language to show Piggy and Simon are never fully accepted by the other boys? Use their deaths, and the language used to describe them, in keeping with their treatment in the preceding chapters.

‘Lord Of The Flies’ by William Golding shows how both Simon and Piggy are never fully accepted by the other boys. They are both outsiders but for different reasons. Simon chooses to be separate and is therefore more responsible for his downfall, whereas Piggy is bullied into being alone and apart from the boys, and so becomes a victim to their games.

Piggy is an educated boy who has grown up as an outcast. Due to his illness and long periods in isolation, he is more mature than the others and retains his civilized behaviour. However his experiences on the island give him a more realistic understanding of the cruelty possessed by some people.

From the start of the novel Golding describes Piggy as “the fat boy,” this is referring to his physical appearance and this adjective indicates and highlights the undesirable trait of obesity, which makes him different, therefore unacceptable in society as he stands out. Piggy’s physical appearance also includes poor eyesight, ‘wearing specs since I was three,” and “asthma;” people with these traits cannot fend for themselves as well as healthier people and so die off quicker, as the fittest survive. Piggy has the handicap of asthma that makes him weak and holds him back from having fun with the other boys, therefore excluding him from the fun the boys enjoy, “I can’t swim on account of my asthma”. Piggy is already becoming excluded.

Throughout the novel Piggy is never asked or called by his proper name, this shows that the boys are not interested in Piggy’s past as they cannot be bothered to ask him his name, showing the full extent of the separation between Piggy and the boys. Piggy is called various names including, “Fatty” as well as “Piggy,” these names refer only to his physical appearance rather than his intellectual mind. The boys cannot look beyond his appearance demonstrating the idea that the boys do not accept him as a human being, also the fact that Golding calls him “Piggy” shows his lack of identity and worth as well as the fact it is an animal that is hunted and killed on the island; a parallel to Piggy’s fate.

Piggy is shown as an outcast at the beginning of the novel as he is unable to defend himself against bullying. An example of this is when Piggy is reciting the names of boys on the island and Jack shouts, “You’re talking too much,” “Shut up fatty.” Another example of bullying due to weight is when Piggy wants to come with the boys to search the mountain. Piggy calls out “I’ll come,” and in response to this Ralph states, “you’re no good for a job like this” which shows that not even Ralph accepts Piggy as one of the boys, and again Jack dismisses Piggy in an unfriendly manner, “We don’t want you.”

The boys’ constant teasing causes Piggy to have extremely low self-esteem and this brings out his personality weaknesses. Piggy always has a suggestion at the assemblies and always gives his point of view, by doing this he makes himself vulnerable and the others take advantage. When Ralph makes up the rules of the conch at the beginning of chapter two, Piggy is the first boy to take the conch out of Ralph’s hand and say something. This shows that for Piggy to gather up confidence he needs to look outside of himself for a source of power, which is generally the conch, “Piggy was standing cradling the great cream shell.” The word “cradling” is associated with comfort and shows that without the conch Piggy would remain silent. This shows that Piggy has a lack of confidence that makes him different and so an easy target. This is shown in chapter five, ‘Beast from Water,’ when Ralph makes a remark about Piggy standing up to Jack, Piggy says “I had the conch, I had the right to speak” without this right it is doubtful that Piggy would stand up for himself. Piggy lives for the rules and is the only one who truly lives by them. The conch exploding into “a thousand white fragments” can be seen to symbolize the destruction of Piggy’s confidence and also can be compared to his head being smashed, by the same “great rock” causing his death.

Piggy assumes an adult role and shows no flexibility in following the rules. Although this is a good characteristic it sets him apart from the other boys. Piggy’s self-confidence differs from that of Ralph as it does not come from being accepted by his peers (as he is never fully accepted) nor does it come from the authority and power Jack has grown accustomed to. It comes from the pride in having accumulated the wisdom that is obviously greater than that of most of the other children at his age, which unfortunately again sets him apart from the other ...

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Although the boys on the island do not accept Piggy from the beginning of the novel due to his disabilities, ironically Piggy’s disability allows them to progress and survive on the island. Piggy has unusually thick glasses, which is a benefit to the others on the island, and aids in the lighting of the signal fire and in the roasting of the pigs. Although this use of the glasses would suggest the others acceptance of Piggy, instead it shows the vulnerability of Piggy as he “was surrounded before he could back away.” Instead of asking as the boys would a friend, they ruthlessly surround him and tear the glasses from his face in a hostile and bullying manner, showing their anti-social behaviour towards Piggy.

When the boys flock to the mountaintop to build their fire, Piggy shouts after them, “Acting like a crowd of kids!” Piggy, by resuming the adult role and calling the others “kids,” is consequently setting himself apart from the other boys, as he thinks he is of superior intelligence, which threatens the others. Piggy is a very reliable person who can look ahead and plan carefully for the future. He shouts at the boys’ immature recklessness, “The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach” and “then when you get here you build a bonfire that isn’t no use. Now you been and set the whole island on fire.” Like Ralph, his sense of responsibility sets him apart from the other boys.

Golding uses the image of hair to illustrate Piggy’s adherence to order, self-control and civilization. “He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow.” Golding uses the word “only” to describe Piggy, as he is again set apart from the other boys, as the only one with clean, cut hair. The boys’ hair growing wild suggests they have lost control and are rebelling against the rules anarchically, which reflects the distance between themselves and civilized society. Piggy has not strayed from civilization so his hair has not grown, showing him to be different and isolated. In addition the author’s description of his baldness presents an image of old age and vulnerability, as hair is traditionally associated with youth and strength. This lack of power makes him an easy victim.

Golding describes Piggy as, “an outsider not only by accent.” This refers to his background. Piggy’s background affects his identity on the island, as he is an outsider in the wider society not just the island society. Piggy, unlike Ralph comes from a working class family; his father is dead and his mother’s whereabouts unknown. This illustrates how Piggy is never accepted due to his status in life, which can be seen as a criticism by Golding of class prejudice that takes place in society.

The increasing injustice Piggy endures towards the end of the novel is far greater than any that he has encountered previously. In his fit of anger, Piggy cries out in a sense of morality, “I don’t ask for my glasses back, not as a favour. I don’t ask you to be a sport, I’ll say, not because you’re strong, but because what’s right’s right.” Piggy is the only boy who presents the others with this statement and challenges their beliefs and so exposes himself to cruelty. This new standard of harshness brings Piggy to tears as the suffering becomes intolerable. For a brief moment, Piggy’s anger at the injustice and his helplessness robs him of his usual logical reasoning, which returns when he is confronted with his fear of the savages.

Piggy dies with no identity which shows he has no place in island society. He is referred to as, “a bag of fat,” which makes him anonymous, therefore showing no value, just a worthless object that is not accepted by the group. Piggy is seen to be an outcast right up to his death; Golding describes the other boys when killing Piggy as, “a solid mass of menace that bristled,” conveying a real sense of unity whereas Piggy is not one of the “solid mass,” but is alone and an easy victim. This is also illustrated earlier in the text when Piggy “came and stood outside the triangle.” Before being killed Piggy tries desperately to make a last attempt to be accepted by the group by appealing, to their sense of morality, “Which is better. Law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” The extent of the separation between Piggy and civilization and the other boys is seen here, as Piggy is the only one who still believes in the moral code and as a consequence of being an outcast due to remaining inflexible about the rules he dies and so does civilization, as the conch is smashed and “ceased to exist.”

Piggy is an intelligent boy with a good understanding of the situation on the island. He is able to think clearly and plan ahead with caution so that even in the freedom of the unregulated world, his wisdom and isolation from the savage boys keep him from giving into the evil that has so easily consumed Jack and his followers. The resulting cruelty Jack inflicts upon him teaches Piggy how much more pain there is in the world. Piggy’s status in their society allows him to look at the boys from an outsider’s perspective. He can learn of the hatred being brought out of the boys without having to experience the thirst for blood that Ralph is exposed to. Although one sees that Piggy is an outsider from the start of the novel and is never fully accepted this does not totally affect Piggy’s actions on the island.

During the course of events in the novel Simon is portrayed as an inspirational figure to the boys not in intelligence like Piggy, but in his ongoing perseverance throughout his time on the island. Simon “was a small, skinny boy,” who is both quiet and a loner. He is neither liked nor hated and is abnormally silent throughout the novel. He is portrayed in the story as a contemplative dreamer. Aside from thinking, Simon also does the necessary chores and obeys all commands from his superiors. Simon is a submissive character who is seen to be an outsider when first met, as he is “always throwing a faint” unlike any of the other boys. Although Simon and Piggy are different Golding sets them apart as physically weaker than the other boys, making them obvious targets.

When Simon states, “As if this island... wasn’t good enough” Simon is trying to physically break up a brief scuffle between Ralph and Jack. The two boys are arguing when Simon makes this remark, the remark shows Simon’s ability as a mediator for the boys, he is acknowledged as a child who is always helping. Simon is a peacemaker who is never appreciated, when trying to stand up for Piggy he cries, “We used his specs,” “He helped that way.” Instead of Piggy agreeing with him, he rudely cries out, “I got the conch.” Although Simon tried to help make peace he is ignored and consequently not respected. Physically Simon is the only other boy to help Ralph with all three shelters, even during the later chapters he begins to show understanding beyond his years.

By defending the island, and calming the boys’ tempers, Simon delays the inevitable events that will happen. In the middle of the chapters, five - eight, Ralph calls an assembly late at night, and an argument breaks out about a beast. Simon once again plays an important “mediation” role during the meeting as he attempts to calm Piggy, Ralph, and Jack by saying, “What I mean I...Maybe it’s only us…” This stuttering statement stops the boys arguing, and re-directs the attention to Simon. Simon’s words suggest that the boys are just hallucinating, and have nothing to fear.

Simon is a shy, and conservative boy and only speaks when needed or asked, often he retreats to a place in the jungle where he can gather his thoughts and be alone, “Just a place I know... A place in the jungle…” Unlike any of the other boys Simon enjoys being separate from them and being alone, by isolating himself he leaves himself open to bullying. This unfortunately prevents him from ever properly being accepted by the other boys. Simon tries his best to keep the boys from discovering his place in the jungle, and faces humiliation from Jack and the rest of the boys when he tries to admit he was in the jungle at night during the talk about beasts. The effort Simon puts in to conceal his secret place shows this perseverance. Even when Simon is humiliated he still will not say why he is going to his jungle spot, as even though it sacrifices his friendship with the boys he does not need them when “utterly alone,” in the jungle as he has nature, which comforts him and provides a peaceful refuge from the other boys. The language is richer to show comfort and peace allowing Simon to be himself. As a result of wanting to be a “loner” in the jungle he purposefully elects to separate, which prevents him from being accepted.

The boys’ fears of the terrifying beast grow worse when the twins, Sam and Eric, see it. This is when Simon puts into effect his method of thinking, suggesting that the beast is not a physical beast but a beast in their heads, a figment of their imagination. He tries to explain his feeling that the beast may be inside them; “Humankind’s essential illness” is the evil force within man. Simon struggles to find a way to explain this and is ridiculed by Jack and his group who lead an exploration to the rocky cliffs. Simon is set apart from the others as he is the only one able to see the truth, this pushes him further from the group making his separation more pronounced.

In chapter seven Simon offers to return to Piggy and the little boys through the dark jungle. This shows that he is not part of the group as he separates and no one goes with him as a friend to keep him company and no one objects to him going. If Simon had stayed and seen the beast with the others he might have established the truth. On the other boys’ return, the true feelings of the boys towards Simon are clear as they do not respect or recognize Simon’s value as he suggests they, “climb the mountain.” He is “jeered” at by the boys showing how little he is accepted by them, and this separation is illustrated further as “he retired and sat far away from the others.” He is no longer part of the group and becomes part of nature as he retreats back to his den.

Although the group has not accepted Simon he feels an urgency to tell them about the beast. He is battered to death, which is due to his isolation and separation from the group. If the other boys had accepted Simon he would have been involved in the ritual and been caught up in the frenzy rather than seeing the truth of the situation Simon’s death is similar to Piggy’s as it shows that he is alienated by the group as they are described as “a solid mass” that all work together to form “a single organism”, which shows Simon is not accepted by the other boys. The crowd of boys are like a pack of savage, crazed animals and Simon, like Piggy, is the one lone sane person showing his division from the boys. During his death Golding describes Simon as, “the beast,” “it,” and “thing,” which is similar to Golding’s description of Piggy: he has no identity, making it even more obvious that he is not part of their “mass.”

These characters die in the novel, which is significant as they are both characters who have been excluded by the group and die due to the reasons they are not accepted. Piggy is never accepted by the boys due to his weight and his shortsightedness, he dies, as he is unable to see a rock falling on top of him due to the loss of his glasses. Simon chooses to be separate from the boys so does not get accepted due to being alone on the mountain Simon is killed as all the other boys have been whipped into a frenzy, owing to a fire and dancing. These tragic deaths indicate that these two boys where alone and vulnerable up to and including their deaths. They are killed by a “solid mass,” which they have not been part of and are killed with no identity, as they were never part of the boys’ group. Through their deaths Golding is exposing and revealing the dark side of human nature.

Katarina Stead English Essay 11B