In Lord of the Flies, Golding explores the conflict between civilisation and savagery by focussing on the idea
that when social restraints and civilising influences are removed, the evilness within humans emerges. The
novel is based on his own experiences, Golding witnessed the violence and depravity of human beings
during World War II while on active service. This had a profound effect on his view of humanity. He no
longer believed in the innocence of human beings but thought that there was a “darkness in man’s heart”.
Piggy is vulnerable, physically weak and defenceless, he is bullied and victimised by the other stronger
boys, especially the dictatorial Jack and his choir. However, for Golding, Piggy is morally strong and his
sense of order and fair play is unwavering.
Piggy is introduced in Chapter One as the “fat boy” with “ass-mar”, which contrasts strikingly with the
attractiveness and athleticism of Ralph, who has the build of a “boxer” and “mildness about his mouth and
eyes that proclaimed no devil”. Piggy’s physical unattractiveness marks him out immediately for ridicule
and torment from the others. His asthma and laziness, limits what he can do on the island and he is
excluded from many of the activities. When Ralph, Jack and Simon decide to explore the island , Ralph tells
Piggy , “You’re no good on a job like this.” Jack rejection is more pointed when he tells him, “We don’t
want you”. Piggy is the only boy who does not have a father and he frequently quotes his aunt much to the
disdain of the other boys. ‘“Sucks to your auntie!”’ and ‘“Shut up!”’ are the other boys’ standard
responses. His association with female authority, coupled with his physical shortcomings and lack of
masculinity make him an ideal candidate for ostracism by the savage boys. Repeatedly, he is turned into
‘the centre of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal’.
Piggy can “hardly see”, he relies on his glasses for vision and metaphorically, as he depends upon them for
mental clarity. The act of putting on his glasses before he speaks symbolizes his attempt to “see” clearly
and to use his intellect to think logically. The glasses establish Piggy as a thinker, any “intelligence had been
shown was traceable to Piggy." Ralph recognises Piggy’s intellect: "Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had
brains." It is his idea to make a list of names, and it is he who realises that no adult knows the boys are on
the island. With his scientific approach to problems, Piggy is the voice of reason – he suggests building
shelters to protect the boys from the elements and even talks about making a sundial. But Piggy’s glasses
are important for another significant reason, they are the boys’ only means of lighting a fire. Throughout
the novel, fire is the boys’ only hope of survival and rescue and a cause of conflict.
Piggy acts as Ralph’s advisor, using his intellect to guide and support Ralph in his role as Chief. He cannot
be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. It is
Piggy who finds the conch and suggests using it to call the boys to meetings. He believes that holding the
conch gives him the right to be heard at the assemblies. When Piggy and Ralph go to the fort to confront
Jack about stealing Piggy’s glasses, he shouts "I got the conch!" to try to show Jack that he has a right to be
heard. Furthermore, he has the most mature attitude of any boy on the island. He scornfully sees the
other boys, "Acting like a crowd of kids". When Jack argues with him, Piggy tries to reason: "How can you
expect to be rescued if you don't put first things first and act proper?" He thinks that the boys should
behave like grownups and uphold social conventions to have any chance of being rescued. Like Ralph, he
believes in civilised values and clings to what creates order.
As the thinker, Piggy asserts that "Life . . . is scientific." After Simon is killed, Ralph seeks consolation from
Piggy as he would from an adult hoping he will explain what had happened. The pragmatic Piggy searches
“for a formula" to explain Simon’s death. He asserts that the assault on Simon was justifiable as he “hadn’t
no business crawling like that out of the dark” onto the beach from the forest. Moreover, when he speaks
about the deaths of Simon and the littlun with the birthmark, he asks "What's grownups goin' to think?" as
if he is mourning the loss of values, discipline, and decorum that caused those deaths rather than the loss
of life. His rationalism is further highlighted by the fact that he does not believes that the Beast exists, he
says, “I know there isn’t no beast—not with claws and all that, I mean—but I know there isn’t no fear
…unless we get frightened of people.” Piggy as an outsider, is more observant and perceptive than the
others and he knows how frightening people can be having been bullied and ostracised.
When Ralph and Piggy blame Jack for letting the signal fire go out, eliminating any chance of their being
seen by the passing ship, Jack takes his frustration out on Piggy. “Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s
glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks.”. This assault symbolizes savagery and lawlessness attacking
order, intellect, and civilization. Piggy’s damaged glasses represent the increasing helplessness of Ralph’s
group and the boys’ weakened ties to civilization as Jack and his hunters gain strength. When Jack and his
tribe usurp Ralph as chief, they constantly tell Piggy to "shut up" and Jack tries to silence him permanently
by yelling, "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong--we hunt!" Piggy naively tries to reason with Jack asking,
“Which is better—to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill?”. He is blind to the fact that Jack and his
group are now behaving according to a different set of rules, they are driven by savage urges and desires.
Most of the boys are attracted to being part of Jack’s brutal tribe but Piggy is firmly independent. Due to
his virtuousness, thoughtfulness and wisdom, this mob mentality is unappealing to him.
Piggy is so intent on preserving some remnant of civilisation on the island that he assumes that Jack's
raiders have attacked Ralph's group so that they can get the conch. Jack the “chief led them, trotting
steadily, exulting in his achievement. He was a chief now in truth …From his left hand dangled Piggy’s
broken glasses.” Jack and his tribe celebrate the fact that he has stolen Piggy’s glasses. This act represents
the fact that Ralph’s diminished group has lost the power to start fires and get rescued, and their link to
civilisation is totally lost. Like Piggy without sight, Ralph’s group is now powerless and Jack’s savage tribe is
strengthened.
Piggy’s brutal and unforgiving death reveals to the reader how far gone the boys are, “The rock struck
Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased
to exist.” The deliberate murder of Piggy by Roger, and the fact that he is killed at the same time that the
conch, symbolises that order and civilised behaviour have been destroyed. The boys’ initial playful
treatment of Piggy as an outsider becomes almost annihilistic, even in death he is compared to something
less than human: ‘Piggy’s arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig’s after it has been killed’. At the end of
the novel, Ralph “wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air
of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” Golding connects the two of the main themes of the novel: the loss of
innocence and the “darkness of man’s heart,” the evil lurking within us all.
In conclusion, Piggy is presented throughout the novel as a vulnerable character that faces much
discrimination and cruelty at the hand of the savage boys. Even though he suffered relentless bullying,
from the boys, Piggy never lost faith in the tenets of a civilised society: morality and social responsibility.
Through Piggy’s rationality, wisdom and kindness Ralph is able to remain true to his beliefs and survive the
descent into savagery and lawlessness on the island. Golding describes “mankind’s essential illness” and
the way in which it infects every boy on the island, culminating in first the death of Simon and then the
death of Piggy. Much the same as the civilian casualties during World War II, they were the innocent
victims of man’s innate evilness and overwhelming desire for power.