Piggy Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis

A concept regularly addressed in Lord Of The Flies can be encapsulated as ‘Jack’s descent into savagery;’ however, although Jack’s inner self seems to retrogress to animalism, he, in reality, is adapting to life on the island astoundingly well. Early in the novel, he is characterized as being civilized and strongly associated with ‘the old life,’ illustrated in such instances as "'We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything'" (38) and “Within the diamond haze of the beach something dark [choir] was fumbling along… Then the creature stepped from the mirage on to clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was not all shadow but mostly clothing” (19). Clearly, Jack

In order to properly dissect the character of Piggy, his physicality cannot be neglected, though he himself seems unable to grasp this. Fundamentally, “Piggy's composite description not only manifests his difference from the other boys; it also reminds the reader of the stereotype image of the old man who has more-than-human wisdom: he is fat, inactive because asthmatic, and generally reveals a disinclination for physical labor” (Rosenfield). In essence, Piggy’s usefulness lies within, while his exterior exists contrary to the standard human condition. Furthermore, unlike Jack, Piggy remains as static as an individual can throughout the novel, demonstrated thusly: “Piggy wore the remainders of a pair of shorts, his fat body was golden brown, and the glasses still flashed when he looked at anything. He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow,” (59). Piggy, while he may stand leagues ahead of his companions in terms of mental capacity, has physically regressed to a state of useless lethargy, and he remains practically unchanged by life on the island. Notable also is that “the glasses still flashed when he looked at anything” (59); Piggy’s intellectualism, manifested in his glasses, is present seemingly in his every action. Principally, Piggy is simply Piggy, unable to adapt to the ever-spiraling circumstances on the island, characterized in that “Piggy makes mistakes because he is too unlike the others and left too much on his own to understand them.” (Olsen) This dynamic evolves over time, eventually resulting in Piggy being left alone with the ghost of civilization, unwilling or unable to accept the reality of the island, culminating in that “Piggy's exaggerated respect for adults is itself irrational” (Rosenfield) and “Piggy stands for intelligence made inoperative because he