Brain Vs. Bwn In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

Brain vs. Brawn In today’s society, brain and brawn are considered to be of equal value because a society cannot run smoothly without both. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the issue of brain versus brawn and what will be the dominant element on the island creates conflict between the boys and Piggy, and when one starts to look down upon another, it tears apart a society. We see this when Piggy finds the conch and can’t physically blow it, doesn’t fit in with the group, and when he dies a martyr. Throughout the novel, Piggy is ignored and used in many ways. When the boys decide that whoever holds the conch gets to speak, when Piggy has it sees that he is being ignored and says, “‘I got the conch,’ said Piggy bleakly. He turned

His physical traits are much like that of an older person. He is fat, nearsighted, his hair is thinning, and he has medical conditions. Chapter One, Piggy expresses concern that there are no other adults, and he is worried that nobody knows that the boys are stranded on the island. “Aren't there any grownups at all?....An expression of pain and inward concentration altered the pale contours of his face.” (2). Piggy represents the logical side of the boys on the island. It is Piggy who finds the conch and suggests using it to call the boys to meetings. With his scientific approach to problems, Piggy is the voice of reason as he knows that building the shelters is of paramount importance to the boys survival. His glasses serve to start the fire that eventually signals to the ship that rescues the boys, "'We used his specs,' said Simon....'He helped that way.'"(42). 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?"’ (45). Without Ralph's leadership Piggy is lost among the group of boys. As Ralph angrily asks Piggy why he did not get a list of names one day, Piggy cries indignantly, "How could I ...all by myself?" (46). The boys expect so much from Piggy, yet they give him to recognition when he does prove to be useful. As an outcast, Piggy continues to ask the boys to listen to his logical thinking. He does this when the fire is allowed to go

As Roger pushes the boulder off the cliff, "Piggy fell 40 feet and landed on his back across the the square red rock in the sea. His head opened and stuff came out and turned red. Piggy's arms and legs twitched a bit, like a pig after it has been killed"(Golding 181). Immediately after Piggy dies, the group of boys go after Ralph, and don’t even stop to consider the horrible act they have been a part of. Piggy symbolized wisdom and rational thought. His glasses alone created the fire signals that eventually let to the boys being rescued. Besides the use of his glasses, he wanted to maintain order and civilization among everyone. It was Piggy who discovered the conch shell but because of his "assmar," he could not blow it and therefore asked Ralph to do it instead. During a fight between Jack and Ralph, Roger pushed huge boulders down Castle Rock. One of these boulders smashed Piggy and he ended up going off the cliff. With Piggy's death, wisdom and power are gone, which leads to more and more chaos towards the end of the story. When Piggy dies, “...the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist…” (Golding 181), the conch is smashed, signifying the end of all the order and control and civilization in the story. Once the conch is smashed all chance of returning to a civilized and organized society vanishes. Piggy, the epitome of innocence and logic, understood the