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Essay on characters in lord of the flies
Analytical essay of lord of the flies
Lord of the flies character development analysis
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William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is an allegorical tale of society told through the story of a group of unsupervised British schoolboys marooned on a desert island after their plane crashes. They attempt to build a functioning society themselves, though the problems that plague the adult world soon begin to appear in their own. Such is the case with the character Piggy. Though intelligent, he struggles to fit in with the other boys and is viewed as an outsider. He is often ignored by not only the other boys, but also by the leader of, Ralph. Piggy’s character can be viewed as a representation of the intellectual and scientific community in modern society, both trying to do their best to further and protect society, but often ignored or …show more content…
ridiculed. Physical aspects heavily contribute to Piggy’s image as an outsider to be ignored by the group at large. He has, “...fat, and [asthma], and specs, and a certain disinclination for manual labor.” His appearance is one of someone more content to be indoors reading a book than outside working. His specs are a classic stereotype of an intellectual, and the way he obsesses over keeping them when they are appropriating for starting a fire only serves to show how much he clings to ‘proper’ civilization. His refusal to labor like the other boys (using his asthma as an excuse) only serves to separate him from them even more, and contribute to why the do not respect or listen to him. Though Piggy has good intentions, he usually is ignored.
For example, he insists heavily on the rules of the conch, “I got the conch! Just you listen!” so that others will pay attention. He insists that the others follow the ‘rules’ of their makeshift society, since without them he could never demand attention. When he finally is being listened to on top of the mountain, he declares, “The first thing we ought to have made was shelters down there by the beach.” Though his idea is sound and logical, he was ignored in favor of charismatic leader Ralph’s suggestion of building a large fire- a much more fun task for the boys instead of building shelters. Ultimately, the fire leads to disaster when much of the forest is burned down, and a young boy killed in the blaze. Though Piggy may have practical plans, he is not a popular, admired figure like Ralph is and subsequently ignored, to the detriment of the boys. However, despite being often ignored in favor of Ralph, Piggy still pines for his attention and approval. When Ralph smiled over his making fun of Piggy after Piggy suggested making a sundial, “Piggy saw the smile and interpreted it as friendliness...finding that he had said something made Ralph smile, he rejoiced and pressed his advantage.” Piggy craves the approval of the leader, because that is the only way he thinks he can get his ideas through. He lacks the leadership qualities himself to make this happen, so he hopes to use Ralph as a conduit, despite Ralph’s continual mistreatment of Piggy. He needs this small shred of a civilized government, without it he would be left completely in the
dust. Despite wanting to positively contribute to society, Piggy is viewed as too much of an outsider to be listened to, much like the intellectual community in society at large. His physical attributes already pin him as different, and his lack of allure only furthers the other boys dislike of him. They do not care that Piggy actually has practical ideas on how to survive on the island, they want a leader who is charismatic like Ralph. Though this society ostracizes Piggy, he still clings to its rules, like the conch and Ralph being the chief, to gain any small advantage he can. Piggy’s personality and appearance dissuade the boys from listening to any rational idea he might have that might ultimately help the boys survive, which could lead to disaster.
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.
Society and organization in William Goldin’s Lord of the Flies decayed and deteriorated similarly to a severed pig’s head in the story given the same name. A group of boys is stranded on an island; at first, their society flourishes. Sadly, conflicts quickly arose, weakening the society’s structure. In the earliest part of the book, a boy named Ralph and a boy named Piggy find a conch shell which, when blown, allows every other boy to find them. Jack, a harsh character and leader of a choir, is immediately brought to attention by attempting to ignore Simon, a member of his group who had fainted. Jack proceeded to degrade Piggy for his overweight condition. He then ran against Ralph for leadership on the island. One must not look hard to connect
The character Piggy in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies serves as the intellectual balance to the emotional leaders of a group of shipwrecked British boys. Ironically, their new society values physical qualities over intellectual attributes whereas it is the rational actions that will lead to their survival. Piggy's actions and the reactions from his fellow survivors foreshadow his eventual death. Lord of the Flies is overflowing with creative symbolism, surrounding every event and character; Piggy is no exception. From being the representation of scholars to the comparison with Prometheus, Golding ensures Piggy's short life is well remembered.
( 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
Lord of the flies dramatizes the conflict between the civilisation and savagery that exists in all human beings. Every choice that the author makes is designed to emphasize the struggle between the order of society, which includes morality, order, law and culture and chaotic elements of humanity’s savage instincts, which include anarchy, bloodlust, the desire for power, amorality, selfishness and violence. As the story progresses we see the swift fall of civilisation and the rise of savagery which is a key motif of this dystopian novel. One of the main characters, Piggy is used to present many allegorical messages such as injustice in society. However as savagery becomes more intense in the novel, Piggy is defenceless and weak so begins to suffer more injustices and eventually
Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding in 1954 about a group of young British boys who have been stranded alone together on an island with no adults. During the novel the diverse group of boys struggle to create structure within a society that they constructed by themselves. Golding uses many unique literary devices including characterization, imagery, symbolism and many more. The three main characters, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack are each representative of the three main literary devices, ethos, logos, and pathos. Beyond the characterization the novel stands out because of Golding’s dramatic use of objective symbolism, throughout the novel he uses symbols like the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses to represent how power has evolved and to show how civilized or uncivilized the boys are acting. It is almost inarguable that the entire novel is one big allegory in itself, the way that Golding portrays the development of savagery among the boys is a clear representation of how society was changing during the time the novel was published. Golding is writing during
Much of history’s most renown literature have real-world connections hidden in them, although they may be taxing uncover. William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, is no exception. In this work of art, Golding uses the three main characters, Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, to symbolize various aspects of human nature through their behaviors, actions, and responses.
Civilization struggling for power against savagery was shown throughout Lord of the Flies. These opposite mindsets are shown battling while determining who had the right to speak during assemblies, when the group hunted pigs, throughout the struggle over Piggy’s glasses, and finally with Simon’s death. These polar opposites are shown throughout these examples and reveal the desperation of clinging to civilization while savagery took over the actions of the some of the boys in Lord of the Flies.
One of the main themes in William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies is that without civilization, there is no law and order. The expression of Golding's unorthodox and complex views are embodied in the many varied characters in the novel. One of Golding's unorthodox views is that only one aspect of the modern world keeps people from reverting back to savagery and that is society. Golding shows the extreme situations of what could possibly happen in a society composed of people taken from a structured society then put into a structureless society in the blink of an eye. First there is a need for order until the people on the island realize that there are no rules to dictate their lives and take Daveers into their own hands. Golding is also a master of contrasting characterization. This can be seen in the conflicts between the characters of Jack, the savage; Simon, the savior; and Piggy, the one with all the ideas.
One of the major characters in the novel “Lord of the Flies”, written by William Golding, is a twelve-year-old boy named Piggy. The character named Piggy is a non-athletic boy, civilized, loyal, brains of the group, physically weak, and a follower. Piggy’s character in the allegorical novel is intellectually strong yet physically weak. His goals throughout the novel are to be rescued off the island and to preserve the group of stranded boys to remain civilized. Two difficulties Piggy experienced with is that none of the boys would listen to him or would make fun of him. He feels that the group of boys on the island is being immature and that the boys need to respect the rules that, Ralph, the elected leader established. Piggy helps the boys
(16) when that probably isn’t the case. Ralph uses Piggy’s idea, gaining admiration from many of the boys, without ever admitting that it wasn’t his idea. Piggy is the thinker of the group, which is a good quality for a leader to have. Had Piggy not been with him at the beginning, there’s a good chance that Ralph would not have been chosen as chief, because he would not have been admired for being the one to get all of the boys together. Although it was Ralph’s idea to have the speaker hold the conch, Piggy is the one who actually recognizes its importance.
He decides to not participate in assemblies and always stands outside of the circle watching. Sometimes if he is frustrated or when Ralph hands him the conch he talks. He doesn’t even participate in hunting or exploring, he is always left watching the littluns. This all changes, when one night Jack and his tribe snuck in and stole Piggy’s glasses for their own use. Thus, causing Piggy to burst saying “ I’m going to him with this conch in my hands. I’m going to hold it out. … I don’t ask you to be a sport, I’ll say, not because you’re strong, but because what's right’s right. Give me my glasses, I’m going to say-you got to!’ (Golding, 171). This demonstrates that Piggy changes throughout the book. At first Piggy was a smart kid that helped give ideas to improve life, but after a while things start to erupt. Piggy encounters disrespect from Jack and being abandoned sometimes by Ralph. This caused him to be scared and quiet for a time being. Until as mentions above, Jack’s tribe stole Piggy’s glasses. This caused Piggy to give in the his frustration and explode upon Jack. Piggy is no longer that quiet kid in the corner, but instead he wants to take charge in something for a change. Even if the change doesn’t suit him, but society is forcing him to do so. With jack’s tribes pressuring over them, Piggy looks for salvation. In which, he decides is best to do by going straight out. This just goes to show, how society can change a person. If society takes a big turn, so will the person’s role in society. Society without rules and governing laws can unleash the true human
The character that I choose is Piggy and the theme that can be reveal from this character is bullying. As I see that throughtout charpter one to chapter four, he is the only boy who is not accept as part of the boys’ group. Even though he has many good ideas such as making a list of the boys on the island, creating a sundial, and building the shelter before start the fire. In fact, the bullying start everytime Jack meet Piggy and it seem to get more savage: Jack change from verbal to physical attack. For instance, in the beginning, Jack yell at piggy. As the time pass, he hits Piggy face: Piggy’s glasses break and he cannot see things clearly.Morover, he is the only one who not allow to eat the pig because Jack say that he does not hunt it;
Rationality, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is the quality or state of being reasonable, based on facts or reason. In William Golding's classic novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of British schoolboys manage to survive a plane crash that eliminates all adult authority from their life. They are forced to learn how to fend for themselves and set up their own society based on what they recall of British civilization. The character referred to as Piggy throughout the novel provides the intellect necessary for survival, yet he is considered an outcast due to his physical condition. Piggy's intelligent suggestions, constant references back to civilization, and symbols associated with Piggy prove that he represents the rational world.
When detached from civilization, human nature instinctively shifts from domestic to savage behavior. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, savagery supplants civilization. The novel is set during World War Two on an uninhabited island, an ideal incubator for this return to primitive behavior. The story follows a group of boys who have arrived on the island because of a plane crash. Automatically, two boys, Ralph and Jack, emerge as leaders. Ralph is chosen as the chief of the group and assigns Jack as a hunter. Piggy is a boy on the island who automatically shows his superior knowledge and is the first to meet Ralph. Another boy, Simon, enters the novel as a very timid and sensitive character who does not say much at the beginning, but increases his speaking throughout the novel. Piggy has a very present intellectual