Piggy's Characterization

By the end of the novel Piggy has perished while Ralph survives to be rescued. Even this puts Ralph in a good light because it shows he was smart and resilient enough to survive on an island full of savages. If Piggy-with all his disadvantages- were to survive it would only serve to undermine the effort Ralph put into survive. In Ralph’s civilized society and the insane society of Jack, a weak person like Piggy can't make themselves known without consequences. This is similar to

Piggy lectured them by asking how they could "…expect to be rescued if [they] don't put first things first and act proper?" (45), which is something they did not want to hear, this was proven time and time again when the boys not let him speak without interruption even when he had the conch shell. Piggy's greatest asset was also his weakest point; the only way he could relate to the other boys was at an intellectual level, whereas the other boys could only relate on an emotional level. Ironically, in spite of his intelligence and logic, rational thought, from the beginning of the novel, Piggy was a social outcast.

In the first chapter of the novel Piggy finds the conch and comes up with the idea to use it to contact the other boys on the island. "'We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us”(Golding 16). Immediately we see Piggy coming up with ideas to benefit the boys. Throughout the book they use the conch to communicate with each other in a controlled way. He is using his brain to benefit the others and that's what he’s all about. Other boys in the story are selfish and don't really think about everyone, but Piggy automatically thinks about other’s first. Piggy is the voice of reason as he knows that building the shelters is crucial to the boys survival.

The way our culture has a tendency to view other individuals by there appearance will probably never change. In some way everyone has it set in his or her mind what makes a person "perfect". These characteristics include personal appearance, wealth and intelligence. We do not always get the chance to get to know a person, but rather make assumptions. Two poems, which reveal different perceptions of someone, include Richard Cory and The Barbie Doll.

He wants to take time to listen to other people’s ideas even the littluns. Ralph and the others don’t feel the need to let them talk or give them the right to talk. Piggy insisted Ralph to give the conch to him. Piggy is compassionate for the others. When the fire got out of hand he was the only one to notice that some of the kids may have been hurt. He cares about others rather than just himself and is willing to listen to everyone. He tries hard to make things work out for the better.

Piggy in The Lord of the Flies was a very smart, yet unheard, voice. He was a friend to Ralph, and if listened, to he probably would have changed the outcome of the book. In Lord of the Flies, Piggy can be seen as an outcast in three different ways. The first way was that he was never able to talk. He was never given attention, and had to demand attention even with the conch. The next way was how he was excluded from physical activities because of his “ass-mar”. The final way is how unimportant he was as a person compared to how important his belongings and ideas are.

When Ralph is trying to get the group back together he states, “Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief”(Golding 78). This shows how Piggy was the one that did all the thinking. This is important because even though he is not chief, he is the one that keeps the group moving forward with his intelligence. Then when Ralph is trying to think of ideas on how to get rescued he states, “But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains”(Golding 78). This shows how Ralph saw Piggy as the brain and the creator of certain things even though others didn’t listen to him because of his appearance. This is important because without the help of Piggy the fire would have never ever existed neither would they have been rescued. This is how Piggy's democratic values were shown because without him the group would have never progressed just like a country doesn’t move along without anyone using tactics to

     Piggy in the beginning of the book was using his common sense, he was intelligent, he knew what was right from wrong, and he could condone things that made him angry easily. In the beginning of the book, (pg. ) Ralph told everyone his name was Piggy even though Piggy specifically told Ralph that he didn't like to be called that name Piggy later condoned Ralph's action with great ease. Piggy's action's and behavior depended on his glasses. Piggy and his glasses symbolized intelligence, he represents the rational side of civilization. With the glasses it seemed as though Piggy made all the right choices, and he helped Ralph know what needed to be done with the tribe. Without his

Piggy’s responsibility set him apart from the other boys, like Ralph. When Piggy cried out, “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” (190). For a moment, Piggy’s anger with unfairness and helplessness he felt took away from his logical reasoning but returned as soon as he was confronted by the savages. When Piggy asked, "Which is better- to be a pack of painted niggers like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?"(200) it demonstrated a change in Piggy's nature. Piggy learned to stand up for himself against Jack and the savages. He was able to think clearly and plan ahead of his encounter with the savage boys. The cruelty Jack showed towards him taught Piggy how much more pain there was in the

People are judged for their appearance all over the world, every day. People with brown, ragged clothes are assumed to be less intelligent, or homeless. People with long hair are assumed to be female. There are many stereotypes that limit the social actions of many people, and it is not just in real life. Rodman Philbrick shows that these stereotypes are not always true in the book “Freak The Mighty” in the form of Maxwell Cane, Kevin, Loretta, and Iggy Lee. All of those characters are misjudged by others, and in some cases, even by themselves. The message that your appearance does not determine who you are is very important, and applies to everyone everywhere.

Moliere’s saying, “A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemingly behavior is patience and moderation.”, accurately represents Piggy’s situation from Lord of the Flies. Throughout the story, Piggy, though disparaged, still stays strong and keeps contributing his thoughts and ideas to the society until his death. With Piggy’s death, the intelligence of the tribe on the island comes to an end as well. When his intelligence disappears, so does the remains of their civilization. The loss of intellect in a society results in the society’s downfall. Golding tries to recreate this idea through Piggy’s character and the situations that he is made to endure.

What archetype would someone label a character named Piggy? Or what archetype would someone label a boy who is constantly reminded of his weight by just his name and is constantly being picked on without giving a counterarguing to easily defend himself? In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Piggy is most related to the Jungian character archetype “orphan”. He is known as one of the smarter boys, along with Simon, but is not taken seriously due to his weight, lack of fitting in, asthma, and his rule following personality (he's known as a very mature child). With his looks and personality, there is no space for fitting in along with the flawless and fearless characters such as Ralph, Jack, Roger, and many more. Piggys name isn't

Piggy urges Ralph to use what power he has left by calling a meeting: “’What’s grown-ups going to say?’ cried Piggy again…The sound of mock hunting, hysterical laughter, and real terror came from the beach. ‘Blow the conch, Ralph...You got to be tough now. Make ‘em do what you want.’ Ralph answered in the cautious voice of one who rehearses a theorem. ‘If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.’” In this situation, Piggy is still worried about the punishment of his previous life. He is the closest thing to an adult on the island, and Ralph is the only one who advocates listening to him, illustrating Ralph’s connection to the rules of traditional civilization, which the other boys despise and want to escape through the island. After showing blatant disregard to their “chief’s” rules, they decide to escape the constraints of Ralph’s assemblies and embrace their inner savagery with Jack. Piggy urges Ralph to blow the conch, the symbol of his power throughout the book, but Ralph understands that his form of leadership is becoming the less desirable option to the boys: if he calls an assembly and the other boys do not respond, its power, and his civilization, will have completely disintegrated. Ralph constantly emphasizes their responsibilities on the island—specifically, tending to the signal fire.

Piggy, who embodies the “Know-It-All” archetype, inputs useful (usually unwanted) suggestions to the boys, who constantly ignore him because of his social standing. Additionally, Jack repeatedly uses him as a scapegoat throughout the book to place blame on.

A famous person once said “Judging a person doesn’t define who they are. It defines who YOU are.” Don’t judge someone by how they look comes out in both of the stories “The Lion and the Mouse” by Rob John and “Wonder” by R.J Palacio. Both of the stories have characters that are different from others. Both of the characters get judged, but are very helpful in the end.