A question about minor characters can
often crop up in a an exam. It will ask
you to look at the character in question
and explain that despite appearing
minor, that they actually have a key role.
Characters who this applies to are
Simon and Piggy.
Simon is a great character to write about in a question like this.
Simon is marked by his goodness and lack of selfishness. He is
more at one with nature than the other boys and importantly
more at one with himself. He is not afraid of the dark
because for him there is nothing to fear. When he is
confronted by the Lord of the Flies, he does realise that the
darkness and evil lurks within him too but because he is not
tempted by it, he does not fear it. This highlights what a pure
and truly good character he is. The others deny evil because
they are afraid to admit it exists due to their potential
temptation. This is what allows Simon to see what is
happening long before anyone else.
Simon throughout the novel, displays acts
of kindness and looks after the little’uns, is
nice to Piggy and supports Ralph as he
recognises that Ralph is the best leader
and is aware of Jack’s potential for evil.
He is clearly compared to Christ in his
behaviour, his personality, his inner calm
and his strong sense of who he is. He will
never be tempted by the evil inside him.
The key moment for Simon is not his death, but his
confrontation with the Lord of the Flies. Here,
Golding gives us a representation of the inner
conflicts that the boys – especially Ralph are
facing. They see the struggle and the tempting
nature of embracing your savage side. Simon is
key, because he is able to resist, he sets an
example, one Ralph is unable to follow and this
highlights the flawed nature of Ralph. Simon is as
key as Jack to understanding Ralph as a
character, without the example of perfection, we
have nothing to expect our hero to live up to.
Simon tries to show the boys there is no beast to save
their souls – just like Christ – but is unable to do so as
they literally tear him apart. His death is vital to the
narrative and to Ralph as a character, because it is
a turning point. His tragic sacrifice gives Ralph the
strength to stand up to Jack to save the little’uns. It
also shows Ralph the dangers of allowing the
darkness inside you to take control. Although
Ralph does become a true hero, it is Simon’s
sacrifice that saves the souls of the boys on the
island. He teaches Ralph the lesson that he leaves
the island with. This is why Simon is such a key
character.
Piggy is a great character but you don’t
have as much you can say as you can
for Simon. Piggy only has one real
function, he is the conscience of the
leader Ralph. He cannot ever be leader
due to his appearance and social
standing, but he is able to provide Ralph
with knowledge and insight.
Piggy provides the characters like Jack, Roger and
even Ralph with the verbal and physical punch
bag that they need to highlight the darkness that
lurks in them and the potential to show cruelty
towards others.
There are numerous examples of Piggy being bullied,
Jack is at least consistent in his hatred for Piggy
because he is a threat to him. Piggy’s common
sense would ruin his plans to spread fear amongst
the little’uns, luckily for Jack, no-one listens to Piggy
because of his appearance, which in a way
highlights the darkness that lurks in the boys.
Whereas Jack is honest about his hatred
for Piggy and this fits with his character.
Piggy is key to understanding the dark
side of our flawed hero Ralph, it is the
cruel acts towards Piggy that show that
he is not perfect. It shows that popularity
and acceptance is important to Ralph
and that being associated too closely
with the fat, poor kid would damage his
credibility.
It is quite clear that Piggy is a very ironic
character. He speaks a lot of sense and
his insight into the goings on – this will be
important when looking at symbolism – is
clear. The irony is that the boys should
have listened to the fat, poor child and
they may have had a happier existence
on the island. This is clearly Golding
making a statement.
Never use Roger to answer a question on a
minor character who is actually
significant. He does have an important
role, but his character is too consistent
and therefore lacks the depth and
development to analyse in enough
detail. You should mention Roger if
relevant but never base a full answer
around his character.
These minor characters are good to use in
a specific question on minor characters.
However if you are writing about them in
other essays, you must always link your
analysis of them back to the subject of
the question.