Hope In Lord Of The Flies

435 Words1 Page

In the book Lord of the Flies, hope is a big a big topic and Piggy is a great symbol of it. William Golding wrote the book Lord of the Flies in 1954 during the start of the Cold War. The book has a lot of great symbols and one is hope. In the book Lord of the Flies, Piggy is a symbol of hope for people on the island.
Even though Piggy does not agree to lend the other boys on the island his glasses to start the fire it, it brought hope. In the book Ralph suggests, “ His specs-use them as burning glasses!” (40). When they use the glasses to start the fire all the boys are excited and filled with new hope. PIggy's glasses truly brought hope because they planed to make smoke with the fire so they could be rescued. Without piggy and his glasses …show more content…

For example piggy said, “ we got no fire on the mountain. but what's wrong with a fire down here” (129). At this point in the book the rule was that the fire was to stay on the mountain and no one was willing to make a suggestion to move it, but Piggy was bold enough to through the idea out and Ralph agreed with him. When Piggy suggested this, he kept the hope alive by keeping the fire lit to make the rescue signal. Piggy can be brave with ideas when others won't and he can do things that others won't.
When others are giving up Piggy keeps them on the right track. Toward the end of the book after Simon died and Ralph kept saying, “That was murder” (156). Piggy, trying to keep Ralph sane said, “it was an accident,” said Piggy suddenly, “that's what it was. An accident”(157). Piggy is one of the few left faithful followers and he helps give Ralph hope that killing simon was an accident, that he is still chief and that he can still help get everyone off the island. Without Piggy, Ralph would have given up every last bit of hope.
The book Lord of the Flies has a lot of symbols and one is piggy that represents hope. Piggy gives people hope when people are lost, unbrave, and when people are sad. Piggy truly did a lot in the book Lord of the Flies. What do you think the book would have been like without

Show More
Related

  • Fire In Lord Of The Flies Symbolism Essay

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book Lord of the Flies has changing symbolic values in objects and places. These values reflect humanity's nature to become savage. This is demonstrated by the symbols in their mirroring of the boys. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the meaning of symbols evolve throughout the story with the conch standing for civilization and then the breakdown of order in society, Piggy’s specs meaning knowledge then Jack’s power, and the fire first representing hope then ultimately destruction.

    Read More

  • Piggy Change In Lord Of The Flies

    463 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the beginning of Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Piggy is seen as a weak and cowardly character, allowing the boys to walk over him. Throughout the book, he becomes more confident. For example, one instance where Piggy is seen as insecure is at the first meeting on the island. Piggy tells Ralph, another fellow survivor, that he doesn’t want anybody to call him Piggy. Later, after using a conch to summon the boys to the area, Ralph reveals Piggy’s name. Instead of insisting that Piggy is not what he wanted to be called, the book states that “he went very pink, bowed his head, and cleaned his glasses again” (Golding 21). This change is negative because Piggy is them to call him by this name he didn’t want.

    Read More

  • Piggy's Glasses Analysis

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ing the boys know that if they do not stay prim and proper, rescue will be the last thing on their minds. Piggy is the brains of the group, he is the one with all the answers. When the boys first start the fire they want smoke, but Piggy is the only one who knows why, “Course we have. ’Cos the smoke’s a signal and we can’t be rescued if we don’t have smoke” (Golding 173). Ralph’s boys all just want to get off the island at this point, they are tierd of fighting Jack and his sneaky devious ways of getting what he wants. By stealing the glasses he has an edge on everyone and the power of fire, so Piggy is trying to come up with a way to keep the smoke signal going so they can still attract any passing ships attention. With all of Piggy’s genius ideas he shares with the boys to stay safe and civil on the island, he really is not paid back with the respect he deserves.

    Read More

  • Fear in William Golding's Lord of the Flies

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    The kids' fear of not being rescued from the island led the group to the top of the mountain to make signal fires. They used Piggy's glasses in order to make that fire:

    Read More

  • What Is Piggy's Hierarchy Of Ethics In Lord Of The Flies

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    Piggy is known for being the most intellectual and reasonable out of the boys. While the other boys are off fooling around and dreaming about their next adventure, Piggy is using reason to plan an organized method of survival on the island where everyone is satisfied. For example, while the other boys were exploring the island, Simon came up with an idea and said, “‘I’ve been thinking,” he said, “about a clock. We could make a sundial. We could put a stick in the sand, and then—’” (Golding 90). Although the boys can rule using any form of government on the island, Piggy attempts to create a civilized and orderly environment by advising Ralph to implement a democratic state. Despite his weak appearance, Piggy has a very strong moral compass and sense of self assurance, meaning, he’s very confident in the moral choices he makes. Since he bases his actions and way of thinking on reason and justice, he has a tendency to believe everyone should follow and share his methods because “rules are rules.” As seen when electing a leader, Piggy believed that because the conch and name system were his ideas, he should have been voted as leader, resulting in “Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air.” (Golding 29). Due to his strong confidence, Piggy is not afraid to act upon his beliefs and what is right, even if it may not be a popular

    Read More

  • The Character Piggy in Lord of the Flies

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    Piggy's intellectual balance to the emotional leaders proved to be his downfall, as the new social order formed by the boys valued physical qualities over intellectual attributes. If this large, asthmatic, and generally unattractive boy would have been more charismatic and emotional, would he would have undoubtedly been the island's sole leader? Would there have been less death and destruction due to Piggy's logicality, rationality, and intelligence? Golding's creative symbolism using Piggy to represent intellectuals who are usually ignored by political hopefuls, and the comparison with Prometheus, ensures Piggy will be well remembered character in the William Golding's masterpiece Lord of the Flies.

    Read More

  • Comparing Lord of the Flies with The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ause he knew he was capable of doing a better job. He knew Ralph would take in concern of the opinions of others unlike Jack, but when Jack took power and one by one everyone was leaving Ralph's group to go to Jack, Piggy took the right decision and stayed with Ralph till the very end. “ We’ll live on our own, the four of us—four of us. We aren’t enough to keep the fire burning.”“We’ll try. See? I lit it.” Piggy had confidence and hope did everything Ralph told him to do because he knew Ralph was the best leader. Piggy and Finn both always tried to do what is right. Choosing from right from wrong is a tough decision and in both books their were so many decisions they had to take to be successful.

    Read More

  • Why Is Piggy Wrong In Lord Of The Flies

    468 Words  | 1 Pages

    ( Golding, 87) When everyone else was afraid, he just thought that " if there's something wrong, there's someone to put it right". ( Golding 87) This shows that Piggy was levelheaded and he knew that the only thing to fear on the island were themselves. This is like he knew that the cause of breakdown in the society would be from themselves. While piggy and Ralph were able to keep order almost successfully, others would leave because they were in to not having rules and just having fun without actual work and effort being put in to help them along. Ralph says, "Piggy, are you the only one left? No there's Samn'Eric." This is later in the book and it shows how people are able to ignore the rules. Only the moral and honest people stayed with Ralph and Piggy To try and be saved. The rest were bloodthirsty savages and left with Jack to hunt and Kill. Piggy also really respected Ralph. When Ralph was upset with the "accident" that happened with Simon, Piggy knew that even though Ralph was doing wrong things, he would work things out. Piggy helps to show how unnecessary it is to dwell on these matters saying "What good're you doing talking like that". (Golding, 156) Piggy knew no one would listen to himself, so he

    Read More

  • Essay On The Outcast In Lord Of The Flies

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Piggy’s physical description is an enormous factor in the book. Although his physical appearance doesn't change throughout the book it continues to affect him until the end. In the beginning

    Read More

  • Why Is Piggy A Good Leader

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although, Piggy and Jack have some leadership qualities, Ralph is the best leader. This is shown all throughout the novel, Lord of the Flies, by Williams Golding. Piggy is portrayed as the wisest of them all and understands priorities; however he lacks confidence from time to time. This makes him a good leader but not the best. Jack on the other hand, is egotistic but has his good qualities as well, such as knowledge and courage. This makes him a potential leader like Piggy, but not the best. Ralph however shows the most positive qualities of being a leader. He is optimistic, committed and knows his priorities, thus making him the best leader on the island. From the day we were born, we were governed by a set of rules that influenced our behaviour. Would the story have been different if civilization was maintained on the island?

    Read More

  • Adversity In Lord Of The Flies

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Golding uses Piggy’s specs as a representation of pure knowledge and insight. Their appearance helps portray the overall status of the island civilization. When Jack and Ralph try to devise a plan to create smoke, the specs are used as a necessary resource to ignite the fire. Jack exclaims to the boys when he was attempting to start the fire, “His specs- use them as burning glasses” (40). Piggy’s specs are used to magnify a ray of light to produce fire. The creation of fire has increased their chances of survival, renewing order and civility on the island. Additionally, it has restored the boys’ hope and salvation in getting rescued. During these times of prosperity, Piggy’s specs are in mint condition. However, the boys forcefully take the specs for their own personal benefit. As the boys begin to treat Piggy maliciously, the condition of the specs start to decline. The glasses became blurry and slightly impaired, making it difficult for Piggy to see clearly. Jack’s disdain towards Piggy heightens to a new level. Following Piggy’s criticism after letting the fire burn out, Jack physically abuses Piggy. Jack bashes him on his head with his specs, causing them to break. Golding states following their quarrel, “Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks” (71). One eye on the glasses is now completely broken. The destruction of the specs depicts the breakdown of

    Read More

  • Lord of the Flies: Literary Analysis

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel, Piggy represents intelligence and rationality because of how he thoroughly thinks through all situations that he faces and due to his exceptional ability to create simple solutions to any problem. At very beginning of the novel, shortly after emerging from the wreckage of the crashed plane, Piggy and Ralph first meet each other. As the pair walk along the beach, Ralph finds a conch, which gives Piggy the idea of using the conch to “‘call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us’” (Golding 16). Even after the initial shock of crash-landing on a presumably deserted island, Piggy is able to gather his wits and realize that their best chance of survival to gather all the boys and get some kind of organization established. Although Ralph found the conch initially, he was only attracted to it because it looked like “a worthy plaything” (16). Piggy however, unlike Ralph, immediately thought up a novel idea of how to use the conch to better their situation, by using it to gather everyone else, and to assess the overall predicament they found themselves in. Piggy was focused on long-term survival and sustainability rather than the short-term entertainment that the conch presented. People who have high levels of intelligence often possess extremely rational thinking methods. The Beast had begun to terrorize the mountain, particularly in the vicinity ...

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Lord Of The Flies

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine a group of young boys who have just crash-landed on a deserted tropical island with no adults or supervision. William Golding showed in his ground breaking novel Lord of the Flies, what may happen in just those circumstances. In his very complicated and diverse novel Golding brings out many ideas and uses many literary devices. Above all others though comes symbolism of three main important objects being the conch, fire, and "Piggy's" eyeglasses. Through each of these three symbols Golding shows how the boys adapt and change throughout the novel. These symbols also help to show each of the boy's ideals on a variety of elements from human nature to society and its controls. All three of these symbols also change and are one of the most important elements of the story.

    Read More

  • Turning Point For Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    I enjoyed reading William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” novel. One aspect of the book that made it a pleasure to read was the turning point in which the all boys in the book took part in the execution of another boy called Simon. After the death of Simon, Ralph tries to admit that he took part in the killing of Simon, however he is talked out of it by Piggy, who denies being involved. The boys who took part in Simon’s death are bloodlust and eager to kill again as Roger pushes a boulder from a cliff which smashes the conch, which represents the pillar of civilisation and indents Piggy’s skull, killing him in the process. Upon Piggy’s death the boys then hunt for Ralph, hunting him down as if he was a pig.

    Read More

  • The Lord Of The Flies: A Character Analysis

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    Even though Piggy is usually a rational, kindhearted person even he lost his temper at that moment. Even the most peaceful of humans experience times of evil. Simon also deceives

    Read More

More about Hope In Lord Of The Flies

Open Document