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Why Is Piggy Wrong

Decent Essays

Sometimes, looks can be deceiving. Nobody can predict the success of a person simply according to his/her appearance. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, the consequences of making the incorrect decision based on one’s looks is revealed. In this novel, a group of young British boys are stranded on an isolated island with no adults as a result of a plane crash. They must remain civilized and create rules themselves to ensure that order is not lost. To do so, they elect a fair-haired and attractive boy named Ralph as the island’s chief. However, when a strange beast makes its appearance on the island, panic rules over the boys. Ralph’s control over the group is diminished as Jack takes over. All faith in being saved is lost when …show more content…

Piggy clearly requests Ralph not to reveal his nickname, but Ralph tells the other boys without his consent. Ralph does not stop the injustice shown towards Piggy or the humiliation he suffers. This reveals his ineffectiveness as a leader because he does not make decisions or take actions that are necessary for the wellbeing of everyone. Many more unfair incidents take place later on in the book that may have been avoided if Ralph realized the importance of Piggy earlier in the novel, before everything slipped out of his control. Furthermore, Ralph does not demonstrate concern for everyone’s safety. Piggy attempts to talk sense into the boys and make them realize their mistakes, however Ralph fails to take action when the boy with a mulberry-coloured birthmark disappears. His reply to Piggy’s question is “muttered [...] as if in shame”: “‘Perhaps he went back to the, the-’” (47). Ralph’s lack of empathy and initiative is clearly shown in this passage. By being unable to provide an explanation, Ralph proves that he does not view the disappearance of a young boy as a serious matter. He once again breaks the trust of the boys while they remain unaware of his unfair actions. Although a majority of the island’s inhabitants appear unconcerned, Ralph acts unjustly when he chooses to do the same. He does not take the responsibility to search for the boy with a mulberry-coloured birthmark. Instead, Ralph simply “muttered [...] as if in shame” and tries to

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