The Student Room Group

Importance of Piggy in Lord Of the Flies

Hiii, a little help needed please! What's the importance of Piggy in the novel, in terms of how his character affects the plot, what he represents.. etc.

So far I've got that his glasses reflect the state of civilsation on the island, and that he's the voice of reason.. he represents intelligence maybe? We've been told in class to try and relate what the author wanted characters to represent to the context (e.g. Golding saw WWII).

Any help would be muchly appreciated! Thanks! :smile:
Reply 1
Hey there, well I did this last year and my exam question was on Piggy, but ive forgotten quite a bit lol, ill do my best...

Piggy is basically (in Golding's eyes) the epitome and representation of civilisation and sense in a savage and brutal world, not just the world in general, but also the social microcosm of the island (which represents the world as Golding saw it). The fact that Piggy is killed by the insanic Roger is Golding trying to portray the destruction of this rationale, order and common sense by savagery and brutality, which Roger represents. The fact that Golding witnessed WWII is allegorical to this as we have common sense swept away bu repression and death (Hitler and the Jews- death for no purpose other than to fulfill the desire of a maniac- in Roger's case, to satisfy his lust for brutality). The other stuff about the glasses etc that youve got is fine, just expand on it loads and youll do fine :biggrin: Hope ive been of some help there lol :smile:
Reply 2
His glasses provide fire, which marks humans from animals possibly?

My issue with Piggy as a character is not so much with Piggy but with Golding. Golding uses him to show how mean the other kids are, because they all bully him. However, I don't think (I'm like 99% certain) that Piggy's real name is not mentionned once. Therefore, it would be quesionnable whether or not it is valid to say that Golding is making a point about bullying as he himself refers to the character as Piggy. If he were referred to by the author as say 'John Smith' but the boys called him Piggy, I think the point would be much stronger. I know it would complicate the book, but I think it should be that way.

Not so much, Piggy, but Lord of the Flies in general:

From reading this it comes over very much as an essay into the behaviour of a group and in particular the potential for harm in all of us, especially young boys. The ending goes some way to proving my point because it seems like the 'rant' is over and it's not really a story anymore so he just ends it. The ending is very sudden, unrealistic, and doesn't really fit.
Reply 3
I think it is important to distinguish between Golding and the omniscient narrator, they aren't identical. That Piggy is never given a real name, in my view, is a concious decision to highlight precisely the injustice thereof.

The ending may fail to hold together as 'realistic,' but thematically it is quite central.
Reply 4
Oh boy they still doing this book!

I did that what 4 years ago now, something like that, Piggy, I hope you get to watch the movie cause if i remember correctly he is the one that is killed by a big rock being pushed onto his head and the acting is appauling and very funny.
Reply 5
The movie is TERRIBLE, it's so funny!!!
Reply 6
I have to say Piggy's character really confused me while reading the book. I think there's a bit after Simon's death where he acts as if it didn't really happen and doesn't appear to show any remorse for the other's actions or guilt on his part. I studied it last year and can't really remember it that well but that struck me as a bit of an odd moment for a character that Golding throughout the novel has made out to as being some kind of analogy for intelligence and reason. I forget what conclusion I came to about that but you should look into it.

Anyway as well as being an analogy for reason/intellect I also felt Piggy represented the outsider within society. His glasses acted as some kind of disability to him and he was rejected by the others because he was so different from them. It appeared to me that he was meant to be a kind of minority in that society, to how much he can contribute to the group and how much the majority pushes him down. He is after all a weak character and taken advantage of by the others.

These are just ideas for you to go over as already stated, I can't really remember that much about it except I really didn't enjoy studying it. :P lol, good luck! <3
Reply 7
jomo
I have to say Piggy's character really confused me while reading the book. I think there's a bit after Simon's death where he acts as if it didn't really happen and doesn't appear to show any remorse for the other's actions or guilt on his part. I studied it last year and can't really remember it that well but that struck me as a bit of an odd moment for a character that Golding throughout the novel has made out to as being some kind of analogy for intelligence and reason. I forget what conclusion I came to about that but you should look into it.

I think that he was trying to keep a check on himself and Ralph - Ralph was getting hysterical, and Piggy needed to calm him and make him forget what happened so he could concentrate on how to get rescued and not get killed by the tribe.
Piggy is the intellectual with poor eyesight, a weight problem, and asthma. He is the most physically vulnerable of all the boys, despite his greater intelligence. Piggy represents the rational world. By frequently quoting his aunt, he also provides the only female voice. Piggy's intellect benefits the group only through Ralph; he acts as Ralph's advisor. He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results. As the brainy representative of civilization, Piggy asserts that Life is 'scientific.' Ever the pragmatist, Piggy complains, "What good are you doing talking like that?" when Ralph brings up the highly charged issue of Simon's death at their hands. Piggy tries to keep life scientific despite the incident, "searching for a formula" to explain the death. He asserts that the assault on Simon was justifiable because Simon asked for it by inexplicably crawling out of the forest into the ring. Piggy is so intent on preserving some remnant of civilization on the island that he assumes improbably enough that Jack's raiders have attacked Ralph's group so that they can get the conch when of course they have come for fire. Even up to the moment of his death, Piggy's perspective does not shift in response to the reality of their situation. He can't think as others think or value what they value. Because his eminently intellectual approach to life is modeled on the attitudes and rules of the authoritative adult world, he thinks everyone should share his values and attitudes as a matter of course. Speaking of the deaths of Simon and the littlun with the birthmark, he asks "What's grownups going to think?" as if he is not so much mourning the boys' deaths as he is mourning the loss of values, ethics, discipline, and decorum that caused those deaths. He has physical disadvantages because he is fat and asthmatic and is short sighted. Without his glasses, everything becomes a blur. He is very intelligent - in Chapter 1 it is his idea to make a list of names, and it is he who realizes that no adult knows the boys are on the island. Later he suggests making a sundial and hats. "What intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy." Ralph recognizes Piggy could think: "Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains." However, he does not speak as grammatically accurately as the others:" How can you expect to be rescues if you don't put first things first and act proper". Perhaps this is to suggest he wasn't as well educated as the others and that he is not from the right class of people to be a successful leader. At the time the novel was written most power was still in the hands of the middle and upper classes. "Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs. He is embarrassed by his nickname, and he behaves with dignity when Ralph betrays the name to the others.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Gr0v3rGam1ng
Piggy is the intellectual with poor eyesight, a weight problem, and asthma. He is the most physically vulnerable of all the boys, despite his greater intelligence. Piggy represents the rational world. By frequently quoting his aunt, he also provides the only female voice. Piggy's intellect benefits the group only through Ralph; he acts as Ralph's advisor. He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results. As the brainy representative of civilization, Piggy asserts that Life is 'scientific.' Ever the pragmatist, Piggy complains,


Piggy was way beta

smh

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