The founding of the conch is seen as an important event in the novel, as this symbol represents unity and authority, which again Piggy seems to bring to the island. He is the one who brought some morality onto the island by advising Ralph how to use it ‘A conch he called it…ever so valuable.’
The relationship between Piggy and the other boys seems hostile, after Jack started calling him ’Fatty’. ‘Piggy’s glasses were misted again-this time with humiliation.’ Although he is seen as sensible and mature, which Ralph and Simon think is respectable, the other boys find the point of staying on the island is to get away from the authority that they used to have. This is why Piggy seems so unpopular at the beginning in comparison to Simon, who remained silent and watching the others around him.
Both Piggy and Simon are Ralph’s advisors and help him when he falls apart as chief. Simon is always willing to go along with anybody’s plans and Piggy, restricted by his asthma still continues to work hard. Jack is the main threat to Piggy, Simon and Ralph and as they are sensible, their views are often dismissed.
As the novel progresses, the boys lose a sense of civility and gain a type of savagery, apart from Piggy. His clothes remain neat and undamaged and he manages to sensibly keep himself together. The breaking of Piggy’s glasses is quite important as now he can only see the situation around him partially as he only has one glass, but still he remains mature ‘He cleaned his one glass.’
Simon’s encounter with the Lord of the Flies is the probably the main event in the novel. Simon finds out here the truth and thinks the pig’s head is the beast. He imagines the beast talking to him and can be seen as a prophetic message. ‘The beast was harmless and horrible…the news must reach the others as soon as possible.’ The storm builds up to Simon’s death but his message is never reached and is restricted like Piggy is because of his asthma. Simon is sensible, as he knows that if he tells the boys his message, then he can free them from their fear.
Simon’s death is gentler and delicate than Piggy’s abrupt ending, when ‘the rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee’ and at the same time ‘the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist.’ Unlike Piggy’s death, Golding uses the beauty of nature to send the prophet-like Simon into an almost heavenly life after his death. ‘…the broken body...’ ‘his cheek silvered…his shoulder sculptured marble.’
The deaths of two mature and sensible characters in the novel seems ironic as Piggy and Simon both seem to have the most wisdom and knowledge than the others, but their lives come to a close. Both Piggy and Simon are equally sensible and display an air of maturity whilst on the island, but show their maturity differently.
SASHA PAYAGALA