After a plane crash in the midst of war, a group of boys get stranded on an island in the middle of an ocean, left to fend for themselves. In Lord of the Flies, young boys create a functioning society on the uncivilized, wild island. Throughout the book, one character in particular, Piggy, is seen as the societal voice of reason. However, after his death, the island descends into complete chaos. In Lord of the Flies, Piggy represents the societal voice of reason, and is used as a scapegoat for the characters and the reader to show the chaos that any contemporary society faces without reason. Throughout the novel, Piggy is presented as the civilized voice of reason in society. Piggy presents several ideas that become “law” in the society that …show more content…
When Piggy is present in the story, there is almost always harmony within society. For example, Piggy’s idea of having the conch holder be the only speaker, made meetings more organized. However, Piggy is used as a scapegoat starting with the stealing of his glasses. Unlike Jack, who is tall, slender, and athletic, Piggy is overweight with glasses and asthma, so it’s easy for him to be scapegoated. His character is used as the center of blame along with Jack when they cannot start a fire. Then, after Piggy dies, the reader is able to connect the discord within their society to his death, ultimately blaming the chaos on Piggy not being present. At the time of his death, Piggy crushes the conch, a symbol of order, and removes himself, the voice of reason. Even after his death, the reader and characters are able to blame the lack of assembly and organization on Piggy, because he was on the who shattered their only basis of order. Throughout the novel, Piggy is constantly used as a scapegoat for the chaos that takes place in his absence, whether by the character of by the