To Begin With Piggy By William Golding

1310 Words3 Pages

Thinking that one's self is the center of the universe is both an unhealthy and incorrect way of thinking. While it may seem obvious and accepted that this position shouldn't be adopted by any soul who walks this earth, many people carry themselves as the most important person in the world. In people's own little worlds that they create in their mind, they truly believe that everything and everyone revolves around themselves, their issues, and their thoughts. While this clearly isn't true, many of society's members still hold on to this destructive and selfish concept, despite knowing better. With this being a real, everyday component of life, authors often like to capture this human habit, and write about its nature. In William Golding's gripping
In designing the appearance and personality of Piggy, Golding wanted to make certain that he was easily distinguishable from the other characters, and would be easy to remember and recognize. This essential background and make up of piggy goes beyond just making him a peculiar character. Golding purposefully does this to add a new, grand dimension to the book. On the very first page of the story, Piggy is described: “He was far shorter than the fair boy, and very fat...and then looked up through his thick spectacles” (Golding 7). Throughout the next couple of pages, Piggy is then referred to as “the fat boy”. Right off the bat, Golding deemed it important enough for Piggy to be described in his full glory, or apparent lack of. Giving the reader this basic yet powerful first impression of Piggy captivates the reader and sets the stage for Piggy to become the most central character in the book. No other child in the book is given a more negative, raw description of their appearance, and this gives Piggy a great deal of uniqueness. This unique trait will follow him throughout the story, and enhances Golding’s characterization of his composition. Any conflict that Piggy would find himself involved in would often see him be teased for his stereotypically large, nerdy physique. The constant mentioning of his flaws shows how much the author wants to emphasize Piggy’s
Golding makes certain to build Piggy’s features in a very different light to the other characters, which made him very easy to pinpoint and remember. Making a character so easy to remember shows that the author has gone to extensive lengths to make Piggy match this goal, and he wouldn’t have done this without a good reason. Piggy often chips in with different perspectives on key issues, so it isn’t just his actions and appearance that stand out. Even the mere name of “Piggy” is quite attention grabbing and uncommon. Coupled with this, Piggy’s glorious death is also quite unforgettable, and this just flips another coin of memorability into the well of character. Piggy’s interactions with other characters is unique, and with uniqueness comes a sense of being indelible. Golding using plot and characterization to build a bridge to his identity enhances this. Clearly, Piggy’s quality of being memorable solidifies his role as the central character of the

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