How is the character Piggy significant in the novel, Lord of the Flies?

by katieconner (student)

How is the character Piggy significant in the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’

Piggy is an overweight, timid school boy, who suffers from ‘ass- mar’ and unlike the majority of the other boys on the island; Piggy comes from a working class background. We are first introduced to Piggy at the very beginning of the book, along with Ralph. William Golding portrays Piggy to be the most intelligent out of all the boys and makes Piggy a symbol of authority and civilization.

Piggy’s physical appearance makes him comical to the other boys and they exclude him from the beginning, because he is overweight, asthmatic and speaks differently from the rest of them. “Who cares what you believe- Fatty”. Nearly all the boys, apart from Ralph, who is Piggy’s closest friend, betray Piggy, however early on in the novel even Ralph betrays Piggy’s confidence, by revealing his nickname to the rest of the group; the name that he hates so much. The bullying that Piggy endures is still seen as “acceptable behaviour” according to the rules of their old lives .Working together is crucial for their survival on the island, however the other boys never include Piggy in anything, even though he is the most knowledgeable out of the group and plays a significant part in their rescue (even though Piggy never gets to be rescued). We never find out Piggy’s real name, as he is defined by his personality and appearance. Piggy is also set further apart from the others, due to his lack of hair, which makes Piggy seem like more of an older, authority figure and also suggests that he is not vulnerable to the progression of savagery, unlike the others.

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Piggy and Ralph are the first to find the conch shell and Piggy knows straight away that it carries great significance and can be used to “call the others” and “have a meeting” showing his intelligence. He continuously reminds them that the conch gives them the right to speak, “I got the conch!”, showing Jack, that he has a right to be heard. The conch allows Piggy to have more confidence, because without it, he would never be listened to and his logical ideas would not be put into practice. As time goes on in the novel and civilisation on the island decreases (and the boys become increasingly savage), the conch is the only thing that Piggy has, that links him to a civilised and authoritative world. Piggy perceives the conch as the most valuable item he has, holding it with respect and affection, right until his death, where “the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist”. The death of Piggy and the destruction of the conch are symbolic of the failure to establish and retain civilised values in the world. After Piggy’s death and the shattering of the conch, there is no rule of law.

Piggy’s glasses represent the scientific knowledge, behind the novel and are essential in creating the fire. “His specs- use them as burning glasses”. The glasses are useful to Piggy, but have a function beyond that for everyone else, as they can start a fire. The fire is crucial on the island, in order to cook the pigs and get rescued, as it is their link with civilisation and safety. The glasses symbolise the intellectual and ordered side of humanity and are also a small piece of civilisation that the boys can cling onto, whilst on the island. Piggy’s glasses also signify the ability to “see”, as without them, he is blind and helpless. If Piggy has no glasses, he is unable to help Ralph or be the voice of logic. However ironically, although Piggy’s eyesight is weak, his insight is very strong, symbolising knowledge and wisdom. When Piggy stands up to Jack, to question why he let the fire go out, Jack “stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach” and breaks Piggy’s glasses. The breaking of the glasses is a key point to the breaking down of society that the boys had tried so hard to establish. It is the first time we see a nasty side to Jack and after this point, Jack continues to get more violent, until he is completely savage. The breaking of the glasses also shows how quickly things on the island can break down, for example relationships and illustrates how rapidly things on the island can get upset.

Furthermore Piggy is portrayed to be the most emotionally and mentally equipped boy on the island. When all the other boys, believe there is a beast on the island, he is clever enough to realise that a large animal could not possibly get onto the island. “I know there isn’t no beast...but I know there isn’t no fear either”. Piggy tries to get the others to understand, that there is nothing they should fear on the island as well. He makes the point also, that the only thing they should be afraid of on the island, is the boys themselves. Piggy is also seen as the adult figure of the group, especially to the ‘littluns’, because he is far bigger than them and they have no other authoritative figure. He never joins in with the other boys’ games and he says the boys are like a “crowd of kids”, when they go rushing off to light a fire. Golding describes him going after them with the “martyred expression of a parent”.

Overall, Piggy carries immense importance to ‘Lord of the Flies’ because without him, William Golding’s novel would not have been as effective. Piggy is responsible for the two main symbols in the book- the glasses and the conch, which both establish a link to civilization, which Piggy longs for. His personality is similar at the beginning of the novel, right until his death and he becomes the voice of reason, on an island full of savages.