A Deeper look into Piggy
Piggy, who is constantly being made fun of for his weight, asthma, and his glasses, is overlooked on the island because the other boys do not see his potential as something as serious as it truly is. Because he is physically different from the other boys on the island, he is looked at differently almost immediately after he started to make suggestions for how the island should have been run. His suggestions for what some of rules should be prior to the election of a leader prove that Piggy was ultimately and fundamentally good because he wanted what was best for the other boys. The rule that Piggy initially introduced, and can be seen pushing throughout much of the book, is the idea of the conch: whoever holds the conch is the only who talks during the meetings. This simple rule can directly reflect on his character because of his self-esteem. Since Piggy is bullied so much for his weight, as well as his nickname which he is reluctant to tell many people, the idea that only one person could speak at a time would represent how Piggy never really has the change to speak his mind since he is constantly being shut down. However, his plan would quickly backfire as Jack abruptly blurts out, as Piggy is speaking, "You're talking too much, shut up fatty" (Golding, 18). This kind of standoffish tone that Jack uses is complete disrespect in the name of Piggy because it was in front of all the other boys, and Jack could already tell Piggy was a weaker boy. This kind of obnoxious behavior proves Jack is inherently evil because he could tell that Piggy would not do anything to stand up for himself. Jack is also using this chance to get an upper hand from the rest of the boys to make sure he has a lot of power when it comes to choosing a leader amongst them.
Though Ralph immediately puts Piggy down, Ralph sees that Piggy can be of use, or at least Piggy's glasses can because they act as a fire starter. Simply because Ralph sees this tiny aspect of usefulness in Piggy, he is kept in the group of boys with higher power. Many of the times when he is put under pressure for not being able to work as hard as the other boys can and make thorough decisions, the reader can see Piggy in panic by his constant rubbing of his glasses. This extreme behavior, which, notable, none of the other boys have a nervous reaction like this, puts out alarm that the bullying and ridicule are hitting Piggy hard. That one tiny aspect of power that Ralph holds onto relies on the fire so Piggy to continue to make decisions that fuels the nervous reactions, but it also means Piggy is safe from Jack. Piggy knows from the get go that he cannot and will not control Jack and his brutal actions so he likewise trusts Ralph will protect him and keep Jack in some sort of control. However, many of the boys see his asthmas as a weak point because he is constantly stopping to take a break and cannot work as hard as the other boys can. This reminds the boys of his weight and causes more ridicule against him, regardless of his glasses, of which Golding makes sure are always close to Piggy, even when broken. His attitude, which can be remarkably negative at times, can be attributed to his weight also. His insecurities cause him to obsess over the idea of the fire to show that he does have some importance in the group, while the others boys are focusing on power and hunting. Over all, the power that Piggy wants to find continues to push him to a new direction as the others continue to bully him by picking out his flaws. This causes Piggy to go through a lot of emotional stress and trauma simply because people continue to pick on him.
Piggy's hubris throughout the novel is that he lost his ability to have a voice in the society he is living in because the others out speak him. The judgment and immediate disapproval of the others on the island caused him to be separated from the pack, and he became a joke upon the people of the island. The real cause for his inability to speak up was because he told Ralph, upon their first meeting, what his nickname was, something that people made up to persecute him. From this point, his social attitude was looked at falsely, his ultimately mistake was when he asked Ralph not to tell anyone, which of course he would go on to tell everyone. On page 21 of the novel, when Piggy voices his disgust with Ralph for telling others about his nickname, the readers see Piggy break down and become flustered. When he lets the other boys on the island see him disheveled over an old nickname, especially one directly referring to his weight, he is only digging a hole for himself. Unknowingly, Piggy was a voice for justice on the island, he wanted the rules to be enforced, mostly for the better of himself, so he constantly reminded the others of the rules, how to be rescued, simply to act as a voice of reason. He intended on being a strong figure on the island because he was one who followed the rules closely, but because the others on the island did not agree with this method, his plan failed. However, no one on the island took him seriously because of a nickname, that he should have kept to himself, but instead, one simple mistake, cause him to be bullied and disregard amongst the other boys.
In the end of the novel, Piggy not only had to deal with the fact that his opinion no longer mattered to the other boys with more influence on the island, but he had to deal with the physical abuse. Piggy's death, caused by another person throwing a large rock towards him killing him, breaking his glasses and shattering the conch. The three of those, all demolished by a rock show that Piggy was influence, regardless of what the other characters wanted to believe, and his final ridicule was his last. When the rock came down and killed him, it was probably the best move that throwing the rock did because it took him out of his misery of living in a confined space and people that all hate him. On the other hand, the shattering of his glasses meant that the rest of the people on the island would have to work hard to fill the request of Ralph, by keeping the fire constantly lit because it would no longer be able to be lit again. Finally, the loss of the conch mean that everything that Piggy was pushing for on the island, reason, rules, and authority, were crushed. The three of these depict how important the loss of Piggy was to the island, everything about him, his glasses and how he always carried the conch to try and restore reason, was lost at once, the ultimate hubris of the island.
Though Ralph immediately puts Piggy down, Ralph sees that Piggy can be of use, or at least Piggy's glasses can because they act as a fire starter. Simply because Ralph sees this tiny aspect of usefulness in Piggy, he is kept in the group of boys with higher power. Many of the times when he is put under pressure for not being able to work as hard as the other boys can and make thorough decisions, the reader can see Piggy in panic by his constant rubbing of his glasses. This extreme behavior, which, notable, none of the other boys have a nervous reaction like this, puts out alarm that the bullying and ridicule are hitting Piggy hard. That one tiny aspect of power that Ralph holds onto relies on the fire so Piggy to continue to make decisions that fuels the nervous reactions, but it also means Piggy is safe from Jack. Piggy knows from the get go that he cannot and will not control Jack and his brutal actions so he likewise trusts Ralph will protect him and keep Jack in some sort of control. However, many of the boys see his asthmas as a weak point because he is constantly stopping to take a break and cannot work as hard as the other boys can. This reminds the boys of his weight and causes more ridicule against him, regardless of his glasses, of which Golding makes sure are always close to Piggy, even when broken. His attitude, which can be remarkably negative at times, can be attributed to his weight also. His insecurities cause him to obsess over the idea of the fire to show that he does have some importance in the group, while the others boys are focusing on power and hunting. Over all, the power that Piggy wants to find continues to push him to a new direction as the others continue to bully him by picking out his flaws. This causes Piggy to go through a lot of emotional stress and trauma simply because people continue to pick on him.
Piggy's hubris throughout the novel is that he lost his ability to have a voice in the society he is living in because the others out speak him. The judgment and immediate disapproval of the others on the island caused him to be separated from the pack, and he became a joke upon the people of the island. The real cause for his inability to speak up was because he told Ralph, upon their first meeting, what his nickname was, something that people made up to persecute him. From this point, his social attitude was looked at falsely, his ultimately mistake was when he asked Ralph not to tell anyone, which of course he would go on to tell everyone. On page 21 of the novel, when Piggy voices his disgust with Ralph for telling others about his nickname, the readers see Piggy break down and become flustered. When he lets the other boys on the island see him disheveled over an old nickname, especially one directly referring to his weight, he is only digging a hole for himself. Unknowingly, Piggy was a voice for justice on the island, he wanted the rules to be enforced, mostly for the better of himself, so he constantly reminded the others of the rules, how to be rescued, simply to act as a voice of reason. He intended on being a strong figure on the island because he was one who followed the rules closely, but because the others on the island did not agree with this method, his plan failed. However, no one on the island took him seriously because of a nickname, that he should have kept to himself, but instead, one simple mistake, cause him to be bullied and disregard amongst the other boys.
In the end of the novel, Piggy not only had to deal with the fact that his opinion no longer mattered to the other boys with more influence on the island, but he had to deal with the physical abuse. Piggy's death, caused by another person throwing a large rock towards him killing him, breaking his glasses and shattering the conch. The three of those, all demolished by a rock show that Piggy was influence, regardless of what the other characters wanted to believe, and his final ridicule was his last. When the rock came down and killed him, it was probably the best move that throwing the rock did because it took him out of his misery of living in a confined space and people that all hate him. On the other hand, the shattering of his glasses meant that the rest of the people on the island would have to work hard to fill the request of Ralph, by keeping the fire constantly lit because it would no longer be able to be lit again. Finally, the loss of the conch mean that everything that Piggy was pushing for on the island, reason, rules, and authority, were crushed. The three of these depict how important the loss of Piggy was to the island, everything about him, his glasses and how he always carried the conch to try and restore reason, was lost at once, the ultimate hubris of the island.