Pig Smarts Even though it is very valuable, intelligence is often put down. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the concept of intelligence being set aside is presented many times. Piggy, an overweight young English boy who is ridiculed, is used by Golding to depict the idea of a bright yet cowardly character not receiving the credit he deserves. The boys on the island overlook Piggy even though he possesses intelligent ideas. Given the circumstances Piggy gets caught in, he changes into a strong character who finds his self-confidence and does not put up with mistreatment from the others. In Lord of the flies, Piggy shows signs of a shy character that is often stepped on by the other boys. He is a very intelligent human with bright ideas, but every time he suggests a thought, no one …show more content…
When havoc occurs regarding the beasts and the boys suggest it is a ghost, Piggy states “I don’t believe in no ghosts” (90). Piggy’s rationale is superior to that of the other boys. Everybody is on the verge of insanity, yet Piggy has held onto his sanity. His statement is logical and not unreasonable, unlike the others’. Also, he is not forward enough with his idea though, so no one listens. His quiet voice is drained by the others’ loud and boisterous voices. Very rarely Piggy fearlessly speaks his opinion to the others. When situations get out of hand, he tries to create order and take control of the situation. For example, during a meeting, Piggy constantly shouts, “I got the conch” but is not forceful enough; therefore, no one listens to him (83). The system of only the person holding the conch talking is much more efficient than everybody yelling at once. If the boys would listen to Piggy, they would be much better off. They could have harmony as Piggy suggests so often. Piggy sometimes watches
Piggy was the one boy in the novel who has all the knowledge. Despite his asthma and obese problem, Piggy never failed to contribute his cerebral and intelligent ideas. He came up with all the ideas on how to survive and tried to keep the group organized and civilized. The glasses of Piggy symbolized his knowledge and smartness.
Piggy tries to do what’s best for everyone. He was the ‘word of reason.’ But since nobody respected him, he was never given power. The author states, “ ‘I got the conch,’ said Piggy indignantly. ‘You let me speak!’ ‘The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain,’ said Jack. ‘So you shut up.’ ‘... I got the conch!’ Jack turned fiercely. ‘You shut up!’ Piggy wilted.” (Golding 42.) Jack treats Piggy as if he is unimportant. All characters show cruelty towards Piggy one way or another. Because Piggy has the mentality of an adult, the boys refuse to listen since they want their freedom. The author indicates, “... Roger with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all
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.
In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Simon and Piggy are among a group of boys who become stranded on a deserted island. Left without any adults, the boys attempt to create an orderly society. However, as the novel progresses, the boys struggle to sustain civility. Slowly, Jack and his hunters begin to lose sight of being rescued and start to act more savagely, especially as fears about a beast on the island spread. As the conflict progresses, Jack and Ralph battle for power. The boys’ struggle with the physical obstacles of the island leads them to face a new unexpected challenge: human nature. One of the boys, Simon, soon discovers that the “beast” appears not to be something physical, but a flaw within all humans
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
Piggy's literal function in this novel is to be the intellectual and logical thinker to counteract the emotional thinking of the other boys. From the beginning, Piggy viewed everything logically. He quickly came to the realization that the boys may be on the island for a long time, when he told Ralph "Nobody don't know we're here. Your dad don't know, nobody don't know" (9), contrary to Ralph's assumption that his father, who happened to be a naval officer, would simply come and rescue them. While Ralph became the natural leader based on his charisma, "what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy" (18/19). However, it is unfortunate that this intelligence eventually led Piggy to his demise. Piggy's direct way of analyzing a situation and voicing his opinion tended to make him quite un...
Piggy is also very intimidated by boys like Jack and Roger. For example, when Jack tells Piggy to shut up “Piggy [wilts]”and this shows that his confidence always seems to go down whenever boys like Jack are
He never strayed from the things that mattered to him and he always defended his views of reasoning and intelligence with his ever compelling voice. But Piggy wasn’t always like this. During the beginning, he was the meek portly boy who nobody wanted to listen to, but he later gained the confidence to stand up for himself and his opinions.
Piggy’s leadership in the novel is portrayed as knowledgeable but lacks confidence from time to time. Piggy is shown to be a potential leader because of his wisdom. He portrays knowledge from time to time, for example, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us-” (12). This exhibits his knowledge of the art of survival. Even though in the novel, Piggy is shown as the weak link, his wisdom out powers his flaws. Although Piggy has lots of wisdom which makes him a potential leader, he lacks confidence. “Piggy opened his mouth to speak, caught Jack’s eye and shut it again.” (42) This proves that Piggy lacks confidence because he is afraid to express his thoughts. He would rather not contribute to a conversation than be laughed at his ideas. However Piggy does see the importance of having priorities. Specifically, when he says, “How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper.” (45) The quote proves that Piggy prioritizes the needs of his pee...
Piggy is the only one who says what boys have to do instead of just playing. However, he is disappointed that they don’t listen to him, and even many boys become frenzied and harass him harshly.
Significance: Piggy is averse to most of the other boys, who he thinks are acting like little children (they are children, obviously, but Piggy acts like the adult figure).
-Piggy is still hanging on to the slim amount of civilization left, as he forces Ralph to blow the conch even though there are only four boys left, proven when he says, “It’s all we got.” This shows that although ineffective, calling an assembly with order and talking in turn still comforts Piggy, and ultimately shows that he is still civilized.
In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, though several characters demonstrated quality traits to be a good leader, only one had the greatest sense of long-term leadership to “confront the major anxiety” of all the boys as John Galbraith defined. Though Jack held a voice among the boys, his desire for hunting and power led the civilization to corruption. Piggy’s intellect improved the development of the society, but his ideas were belittled by the other boys when he offered them. Therefore, only Ralph could have held a stable leadership because of his determination to lead the boys and ability to take initiative of a situation .
A first impression is something that one gets a single shot at. They either make it count or they completely miss, but one thing one cannot determine from a first impression is some ones true motives. As a wise Joyce Myer once said, “Motives reveal why we do what we do, which is actually more important to God than what we're doing”. One has to sit back and learn why a person said this or said that in a first impression. When one can listen and learn from a person, that is when the reasons behind the choices that are being made come out. In the novel “Lord of the Flies”, written by William Golding, there is a very interesting character named Piggy. In this novel the static characteristics of Piggy allow his motives of insecurity and order to
In Golding’s book, Lord of the Flies, Piggy learns to stand up for himself and have more self-confidence which is a positive change. Piggy is shy and weary of his actions in the beginning but as the story progresses the troubles and responsibilities of being stranded on the island causes his self-confidence and self-esteem to grow.