More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis of lord of the flies
Character analysis in Lord of the Flies
Literary analysis of lord of the flies
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Lord of the Flies Essay
Question: Of all the characters, it is piggy who most often has useful ideas and sees a correct way for the boys to organize themselves. Yet the other boys rarely listen to him and frequently abuse him. Why do you think this is the case? In what ways does William Golding use Piggy to advance the novel’s Theme?
Characters are very important in a novel, for all that we know characters change the reader’s mood and they ultimately enhance the reading experience. Believe it or not authors put a lot effort into characterization, authors make it so that the characters mirror the theme and also use the characters to advance it. In “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding has a very important theme which is the innate evil in mankind. William Golding also perfectly crafted a character named Piggy who is an intelligent, moral, but a degraded character. All
…show more content…
To begin with, Piggy is represented as an obese, asthmatic, and short stereotypical character who wears thick spectacles. Piggy is shown like this he is stereotypically representing people who have similar physique as Piggy and also because his appearance mirrors the theme. In addition, Piggy’s physical attributes make him an easy target and also Piggy can’t defend himself against a bully. Throughout the story Piggy is shown as the more intellectual from all the boys, but he is taken for granted and has no value among the boys. In addition to Piggy’s appearance, he himself symbolizes intelligence through his glasses/ideas, civilization by how he acts, and he also shows his morality because he knows right from wrong. Piggy’s intelligence also comes into to play when he comes up with the most brilliant ideas but they are completely ignored, one of his ideas were to make a sundial but no one listened to him. “He was shorter than the fair haired boy and very fat. He came
Out of all the boys Piggy is the most reasonable. From the start he already shows a higher sense of maturity than most of the other boys. Piggy says that “we might stay here till we die” the reader can tell that Piggy doesn’t have as much of a false sense of reality like the other boys. I say as much because just before this Piggy asks Ralph “when [his] dad will arrive. This shows that even though Piggy shows some level of maturity he is still young and that shows in his speech.
Piggy was a moral person and an uncorrupted person for his time on the island. he was moral because he believed in guidelines and weighed each decision he made with what the rest of society would say. He was moral because of this and never would he stray from what was moral or good in society so he would be mostly correct. Piggy had very strong ideas. when everyone else was starting out on the island, the rest of the worlds rules were with them. everyone slowly was drawn away from
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.
His glasses symbolize many different things in the novel. First, they symbolize hope. Piggy’s specs are what the boys are using to light their signal fire, and without their fire, there is no hope for them of ever being rescued from the island. Therefore, the only hope that the boys have of leaving the island is in the balance of the condition of Piggy’s glasses. Without them being in good enough condition to use to make a fire, then there would be no hope of them ever leaving the island.
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
He shows this through Piggy's appearances, personality, and morals. 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
Golding uses his characters not only to convey the themes of the book through the plot of the book, but through the principals, ideas, and aspects of society they each represent. Piggy, for example, represents the intellectual aspects of society (science, reason, innovation, and order). Piggy’s goal in the boys’ makeshift civilization is focused around law and order. Piggy would often sit and think of new ideas to help the boys to prosper, rather than try to take a physical stance or go and proactively work towards prosperity for the boys. This is due to the fact that Piggy has obviously been bullied his entire life, and feels like he is rarely listened to. Piggy is incredibly wise, but his wisdom is often kept to himself. Perhaps, if Piggy had spoken up for himself and others more often, and not just allow the others to degrade him, he could have made more of an impact, but it is doubtful that Jack would have ever allowed Piggy to have any sort of an influence. Piggy was put into an impossible situation by his past, but he never worked to rise from the ashes of his
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.
He is the most rational boy in the group; making his glasses also symbolize logical reasoning within society. But he was completely disrespected, as Jack says in the novel, “ ‘you’re talking too much fat.’ ” (Golding 18) The glasses don’t just represent Piggy and what he stands for, but for everyone else as well. Similar to real life, we have symbols that signify power, and Washington D.C. is a good example of that.
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
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...
These positive qualities include him never forgetting the signal fire, demonstrating that he never loses sight of the end goal and keeps a focused mind, his clever ideas to help the survival on the island and most importantly, his ability to stand up for what he believes in, even when the rest of the group are acting like savages and make fun of him for it. This demonstrates that he is brave and has a strong character. Another important point that demonstrates Piggy’s bravery is when he stands up for himself after Jack had stolen his glasses. His response being, “I’m going to him with this conch in my hands. I’m going to hold it out. Look, I’m going to say, you’re stronger than I am and you haven’t got asthma. You can see, I’m goin’ to say, and with both eyes. But I don’t ask for my glasses back, not as a favour. I don’t ask you to be a sport, I’ll say not because you’re strong, but because what’s right’s right.” This is one of Piggy’s most empowering moments and shows that he is willing to fight for what is right, which is what truly makes him a hero and shows that he is a hero at heart.
Piggy is mentally resilient; he has the ability to think things through with the clear mind even during times of crisis. He is the true voice of reason. “‘I got the conch! Just you listen! The first thing we ought to have made was the shelters down there by the beach…But the first time Ralph says ‘fire’ you goes howling and screaming up this mountain. Like a pack of kids!’” (Golding 45). Piggy has the capability to let his voice of reason run unbridled because he tends to think before he leaps. Because of this, he is able to vocalize his morals proudly and never stray from his own beliefs.
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.
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 ...