Prejudice In William Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies'

487 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Bullying in the world today

Summer Reading Essay Bullying is a big problem today in many schools. Bullying too often starts because the bully is prejudice. Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys who are alone on an island because their plane crashed and their parents died. In the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, prejudice and discrimination is a big issue with Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Prejudice is first shown by Ralph. Ralph first shows prejudice when he made fun of piggy for his name being Piggy (Golding 6). This supports my thesis because it shows how Ralph discriminated Piggy because of his name. Ralph also shows prejudice after “I been in bed so much I done some thinking. I know about people. I know about me. And him. He can’t hurt you but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next the thing. And that’s me ( Golding 108)”. This proves my thesis because Ralph is prejudice towards Piggy here because he is fat and Piggy is showing how smart he is but Ralph doesn’t believe him because of the Prejudice views he has against Piggy. Ralph has shown prejudice and discrimination against Piggy and it affects the outcome of Piggy's …show more content…

Piggy states, “My Auntie told me not to run,” he explained “on account of my asthma (Golding 3).” This quote shows how the discrimination started because Piggy told Ralph about his asthma. Ralph states,“We can’t leave the littluns alone with Piggy. Not all night (Golding 133).” This shows how Piggy was discriminated because they didn’t trust Piggy with the littluns. Piggy was discriminated against since the plane crash because all of the kids being prejudice. Prejudice and discrimination played a big role between Ralph, Jack and Piggy. The ultimate outcome of Piggy's life came to be by the influence of prejudice and discrimination from the characters. Prejudice and discrimination played a major in the story and it affected the outcome of the tribe and Piggy’s

Show More
Related

  • 4. How Do The Boys React To Simon's Fainting Spell?

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    Piggy is upset with Ralph before they leave the island because Ralph thinks it is ok to make their choir boy group into hunters to kill animals. For example in the story in chapter 1 it says “Ralph talked the group into becoming hunters and killing a pig stuck in rope. Another example is when they left to go to walk and look around the lagoon Ralph saw a pig and chased it but stopped himself and said “ next time I will show no mercy.” Piggy didn't want to be a killer nor wanted his friends to

    Read More

  • Why Is Piggy Wrong In Lord Of The Flies

    468 Words  | 1 Pages

    ( 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

    Read More

  • What Is Piggy's Hierarchy Of Ethics In Lord Of The Flies

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Essay On The Outcast In Lord Of The Flies

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Once this happened Piggy started to care less and less about the boys and more about his own safety and getting himself off the island with or without the boys. Jack had taken Piggy’s glasses to start his own fire and Piggy was very upset and he took Ralph and the twins over to Jack’s tribe and demanded his glasses back, but Ralph got a little sidetracked so Piggy brought him back. “‘Ralph remember what we came for. The fire. My specs’”(177)

    Read More

  • Realistic Government In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    In earlier parts of the novel, Piggy attempts to incorporate everyone by “getting a list of names” (46) and by asking littluns, “What’s your name?” (18). Piggy construct a list of all the boy’s names in order to adequately identify them. Piggy symbolizes an idealistic democracy because he permits others to have a voice in the the boys’ decision making. Upon first arriving on the island, he makes each person feel accepted as an affiliation of their group. His resolutions are comparable to that of which grown ups would have made in that situation. In later parts of the book, when Piggy speaks about the savages mindless deportment, he asks “what [would] the grown ups would think” (91) and that their lack of common sense would “gets them in trouble on the island” (132). Piggy’s ideas continually shape those of Ralph 's, assisting him and others in maintaining “grown up” judgements. He countlessly steers the boys away from misfortunes on the island through his natural altruism and criticism, all examples of what an idealistic democracy should represent.

    Read More

  • The Little Evils In Society In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people understand that there is a class system even if it is unspoken. William Golding believed that all humans were savage and evil deep down. This idea was the one mostly portrayed in the novel Lord of the Flies, but also shown in the novel is a deep allegorical comparison between boys on the island and classes they would fall into in everyday society. Little’uns, big’uns and Jack and his hunters all represent different classes of people.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    Girls think differently than boys which would make the story have a different outcome. The culmination of events would be similar, but would be handled differently. Since girls are more in touch with their emotions than boys are, they would not have become as savage as the boys did. The girls would have issues in their tribe, but they would still help each other and stay as one strong tribe. The novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding would have been very different if British girls were on the island instead of British boys.

    Read More

  • Social vs. Natural Intellect in William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    In life, I have observed and experienced both social and natural intellect. First off, there are direct examples of both kinds of people in everyday life. My friends that have good intellect, but not social skills often do well. However, when put in a group, which occurs often in life, they struggle. For example, last year I was in a group for a project. In my group was one person that was extremely smart. He was known as the smartest kid in my class. However, in our group, he was the least productive. He was not able to work with the rest of the group. On the other hand, my friends that have great social intellect seem to always be happy. They still do well in school, while being able to work with others at the same time. These people can help lead and motivate a group. This quality goes a lot further in life than just being smart. The most important aspect a socially intelligent person achieves is working well both in, and leading a group. This person has the great ability to motivate others. This will earn socially intelligent people better jobs. Most jobs, like a lawyer or a doctor, require social intelligence. A doctor has to work with other people every day. Without social intelligence and the ability to talk to his patients, he will not succeed. A very smart person without these qualities will have trouble being successful at the job. Next, I have seen examples of socially intelligent people doing better than naturally smart people on TV. For example, on the show Apprentice, there was a competition between “book smart” and “street smart” people. They were competing for a job to work for Donald Trump. As the show progressed, the street smart people continued to do better. This is directly related to their ability to work together and motivate each other. Specifically, the street smart people worked much better together. Together, they were able to come up with great ideas. On the other hand, the book smart people did not come up with as many good ideas because they did not work well together. The Apprentice show is just another example of socially intelligent people doing better than naturally smart people in every day life. Finally, I think there is one quality, more than any other, which makes socially smart people more successful and happy than the just intelligent people.

    Read More

  • The Influential Factors In Lord Of The Flies, By William Golding

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    After reading Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a reader can conclude that there are many different factors that were influential on the boys. These boys, later referred to as savages, land on this island when their plane crashes. The boys try to reason with one another, but that does not turn out so well. Ralph, the protagonist, and Jack, his oppose, are constantly debating over which item is more important to their survival. However, in the end, the three most influential factors are the lack of women on the island, the boys’ lust for power, and the boys’ fear and distrust.

    Read More

  • The Character Piggy in Lord of the Flies

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies: Character Vs. Society

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    After Ralph carelessly reveal the nickname “Piggy” to the others it triggered all the boys, "even the tiniest," to laugh which sets up Piggy to be the brunt of jokes and bullying. As the story develops, Piggy demonstrates time after time that he is able to contribute to the group mentally. For an example, Piggy suggested that they should construct the signal fire on the beach instead of the top of the mountain after Jack formed his own tribe. Piggy’s wisdom and intelligence begins to become obvious to Ralph but to the rest of the group, Piggy is still thought as weak and useless; it seems that the only time anyone speaks to piggy it involves an insult of some sort.

    Read More

  • Knowledge Is Power

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first character, Piggy, symbolically represents misunderstood knowledge which is made apparent by the lack of respect and appreciation for his intelligence and actual wisdom. The lack of respect stems primarily from his lack of powerful physique and attractive appearance; he is described as being overweight, having asthma, and wearing glasses. His true name is in fact never inquired about; the introduction of his nickname resulted out of cruel curiosity and insincerity. In the first encounter with Piggy, he emphasizes to Ralph that any name is adequate "so long as they don't call me what they used to call me at school." It is then that Ralph becomes truly curious and Piggy confides, "they used to call me Piggy." (Golding 7). Ralph finds hilarity at the revelation of the degrading nickname, thus beginning the belittling and degrading of Piggy - disregarding his potential to spread his profound intelligence. Lacking wisdom and knowledge, the children limit Piggy's power and build their civilization on a state of ignorance towards thing...

    Read More

  • Inherent Good And Evil In Lord Of The Flies

    1533 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is tale of a group of young boys who become stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. Intertwined in this classic novel are many themes, most that relate to the inherent evil that exists in all human beings and the malicious nature of mankind. In The Lord of the Flies, Golding shows the boys' gradual transformation from being civilized, well-mannered people to savage, ritualistic beasts.

    Read More

  • Morality In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine the world without judgement, rules, and those who enforce them, the key principles in a civilized society. How long would it take until desires and craving rebel against morality? With an authoritative power ceasing to exist, civilization would turn to chaos as the glory and thrill of savagery override ethics. In his novel Lord of the Flies, Golding demonstrates that without the restrictions of society, human instinct causes the boys to defy and shun social morals.

    Read More

  • Friendship in William Golding's Lord of the Flies

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Piggy and Ralph’s personalities had a large amount of contrasts that determined their relationship at the beginning of the story. Piggy was the outcast, due to his large awkward body, his thick glasses and his know-it-all personality. While Ralph on the other hand was the stereotypical image of an ordinary boy. Piggy had no friends, besides those that he lived with. Thus was not used to being among other children. He quickly trusted, and latched onto Ralph, ignoring Ralph’s constant teasing . Ralph was insecure as all boys his age are, he didn’t really want to be caught liking the outcast so he teased him. “I don’t care what they call me, so long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school…They used to call me Piggy'; (Golding: pg.11) Piggy confided to Ralph, asking him to be secretive, thinking that Ralph was his friend. When really he couldn’t care less about Piggy’s fate. Ralph betrayed Piggy by announcing to all the other boys Piggy’s name, not really caring about the consequences it would have on Piggy and Ralph’s friendship. Piggy is hurt but quickly forgives and forgets, thinking that him and Ralph are friends. Ralph doesn’t really mind Piggy’s dependence upon him, but finds Piggy to be a bore and does not consider him to be a friend. “Piggy was a bore; his fat, his ass-mar and his matter of fact ideas were dull, but their was always a little pleasure to be got out of pulling his leg, even if one did this by accident'; (Golding: pg.65). Ralph joined the others in teasing him, especially about his asthma and his love and dependence upon his auntie.

    Read More

More about Prejudice In William Golding's 'Lord Of The Flies'

Open Document