Outcasts In Lord Of The Flies

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys turn savage on a deserted island during a futuristic war. Coming from a world where most daily work was covered by their parents, the boys try their best to make life on the island more civilized and safe. In the end though, this only leads to the boys discovering their own inner evil which caused them to make careless decisions and ruthless actions. However, there are two boys named Simon and Piggy that represent the true logic and reason on the island. Although Simon and Piggy are obviously different because one is knowledgeable in science and the other is knowledgeable in nature and religion, they share important similarities; which are they both are very mature and they are both outcasts.

Simon and Piggy were both outcasts because of their physical differences, their "problematic" ideas and statements, and their deaths. Simon is first labeled as an outcast for his physical differences. When Jack and the choir are first introduced in the novel, Jack immediately labels Simon as lazy, saying that "He's always throwing a faint ... He did in Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor.' [The] last piece of shop brought sniggers from the choir"(20). In this situation, rather than being included in the group Simon is really being bullied by his own friends. The choir becomes a circle, and Simon is being pushed to the outside, which makes him an outcast. Piggy Is also made fun of for his physical differences. Once all the boys are banded together on the island, Piggy's obese body is now the laughing stock. Once his nickname back from school is revealed, "A storm of laughter arose and even the tiniest child joined in"(21). Just like Simon, in this situation the boys become a circle, and Piggy is thrown out and made fun of for his size, making him an outcast. Simon is also labeled as an outcast for his problematic statement about the beast. In a discussion about the beast during a meeting, Simon is challenged for stating that "'maybe there is a beast ... maybe it's only us'"(89). In this moment, Simon is being judged for opening the rest of the boys' eyes to their barbaric behavior. He is saying that the only thing the boys should be afraid of is themselves, yet the boys find his highly intelligent statement silly. This makes him an outcast, because his ideas do not agree with the rest of the boys. However, Piggy shares the same interest in Simon's argument about the beast. After a discussion about ghosts amongst the boys, Piggy finally realizes the depth of Simon's statement. He asks everyone "'What are we? Humans? Or animals?'"(91). Of course, this