Piggy from “Lord of the Flies”

William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, explores the darkness and savagery that are a part of human nature. The story starts with a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane crashes. The boys were being evacuated from Britain during a time of war.

The story primarily focuses on the boys’ struggle to survive and maintain order in their newfound isolation. As the boys spend more time on the island, their innocence gradually fades away. They engage in acts of cruelty, participate in tribal rituals, and even kill one another. The loss of their innocence and the realization of their capacity for evil further heighten tensions and contribute to the disintegration of order, leading to terror and mayhem. 

The isolation on the island serves as a microcosm of society. The absence of adult supervision and the gradual breakdown of societal norms illustrate the boys’ descent into barbarism, which eventually leads to the death of Piggy who serves as the voice of reason in the story. 

Who Is Piggy? 

Among this group of boys, one character stands out as an embodiment of reason, intelligence, and civilization—Piggy. Piggy represents several significant themes and ideas. He is portrayed as an overweight, asthmatic boy with glasses, often mocked and marginalized by his peers. His physical appearance acts as a stark contrast to the other boys on the island, who gradually descend into primitive and savage behavior.

Despite his physical appearance and the constant ridicule he endures from the other boys, Piggy’s character plays a crucial role in the narrative, symbolizing intellect, morality, and the struggle for order in the face of chaos. 

Piggy as the Voice of Reason

Piggy represents intellectualism and rationality, possessing a logical and analytical mind. He relies on his spectacles, a symbol of knowledge and clarity, to perceive the world around him. Further, Piggy is keenly aware of his own limitations and recognizes the importance of rules, society, and the need to maintain order.
Piggy’s intelligence and critical thinking are evident through his practicality, suggestions, and observations. He becomes an advisor and confidant to Ralph, the elected leader of the group. Piggy provides insights and ideas, emphasizing the significance of building shelters, maintaining a signal fire, and establishing rules to ensure the boys’ survival and eventual rescue.

Piggy is the most intelligent and rational boy in the entire group.

Piggy’s ideas are often met with resistance and dismissed by the more impulsive and instinct-driven boys, who prioritize violent actions like hunting and make decisions driven by fear. Piggy’s character represents the voice of reason in the face of irrationality and chaos, constantly reminding the boys of the importance of order, organization, and the preservation of morality.

Piggy’s Transformation

Despite his invaluable contributions, Piggy faces relentless bullying and rejection from the other boys. His glasses become a point of contention. When Jack, the antagonist of the story, seizes control and becomes the leader of a rival tribe, he takes Piggy’s glasses, rendering him virtually blind and further symbolizing the suppression of reason and rationality. This act of taking away Piggy’s glasses can be interpreted as the triumph of savagery over intellect and a manifestation of the loss of civilization and morality on the island.

As a result of the torment Piggy faces, his character undergoes development and transformation. He evolves from being a passive observer to a participant, displaying courage and resilience. Piggy remains loyal to Ralph, defending his leadership and acting as his conscience. In the face of mounting chaos and violence, Piggy becomes the moral compass, constantly reminding the boys of their humanity and the necessity to retain a sense of order. However, his efforts are tragically cut short due to his untimely death. 

Piggy’s Untimely Death

Piggy’s death occurs during a confrontation between the two factions on the island. The boys have descended into savagery, with Jack’s group, the hunters, opposing Ralph’s group, which strives to maintain order and a signal fire. Piggy, being a loyal supporter of Ralph, becomes a target for Jack and his followers.
Piggy is brutally murdered when Roger, one of Jack’s followers, intentionally rolls a boulder onto him. During the climax of the story, Jack and his tribe steal Piggy’s glasses, which they use to start their own fire. Piggy, being visually impaired and dependent on his glasses, desperately tries to reason with the other boys and demands the return of his spectacles. In the midst of the heated argument, Roger, one of the boys who has fully embraced his wild instincts, pushes a large rock off a cliff. The rock strikes Piggy, causing him to fall to his death.

Piggy’s death indicates that the evil trumps the good in the story.

Roger’s brutality symbolizes the complete triumph of savagery over intellect and ethicality. Piggy’s death not only signifies the loss of rationality and civilization, but also the death of hope. His tragic demise emphasizes the bleak reality of human nature and the difficulty of maintaining order in the face of anarchy.

Piggy’s death is a tragic and pivotal moment in Lord of the Flies, illustrating the destructive consequences of unchecked savagery and the fragility of civilization. Piggy’s tragic end forces readers to ponder over the consequences of succumbing to their darker instincts and the difficulty associated with preserving the inherent goodness as a part of human nature.

Quotes from Piggy in Lord of the Flies

Below are some quotes by Piggy from Lord of the Flies:

• “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What’s grownups going to think?”
• “I expect we’ll want to know all their names and make a list. We ought to have a meeting.”
• “That’s right. Can’t catch my breath. I was the only boy in our school what had asthma, and I’ve been wearing specs since I was three.”
• “When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it.”

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