How Does Piggy Use Intelligence In Lord Of The Flies

There are many different forms of intelligence: political, scientific, social and many more. All humans use their intelligence in different ways. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, this idea is explored when a group of boys who survived a plane crash get trapped on an island in the midst of a world at war. Some boys on the island are clearly smarter than others. One character, Piggy, is a character who is evidently the most intelligent on the island, uses his intelligence for good and bad. He is almost always presented as a symbol of logic and reason throughout the story. However, Piggy ends up using his smart nature as a way to justify an immoral act. The character of Piggy reveals the harsh truth that even intelligence can be corrupted and used for bad.

One example of this is when his intelligence is used for good is at the beginning of the story. Another boy on the island, Ralph, finds a conch shell. Piggy tells Ralph that they should use this conch to summon the boys of the island: “Ralph!.. We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us” (Golding 16). This event is a case in which Piggy uses his brains to help out - he gives Ralph the clever idea that they can use this shell to find other boys on this island. Piggy wants to help out and his intelligence is beneficial to the boys on the island. This is clearly a way that intelligence can be used for good because the boys will all be able to meet up and increase their chances of