Piggy Lord Of The Flies Sympathy

Death is unavoidable. Without a doubt, every living thing will die. Whether we would, or no, those around us will eventually die of some reason. A loyal dog will soon sleep forever. A mother will eventually say her child’s name for the last time. With time, even a great redwood tree will wither and fall. Death can hold great ceremony and symbolism, but it doesn’t always. Such is the case with the beloved character, Piggy, of William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. For many, this character evoked feelings of sympathy and empathy. He was seen as underappreciated and vulnerable. These are certainly relatable qualities for countless readers. Throughout the novel, Piggy seemed to be the voice of reason. He tried to make do with the situation

According to everything known about him, he was extremely unfit for survival. Some of the most common sayings when it comes to dire situations are ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘the strong shall survive.’ However, neither of these adages were applicable to Piggy. He was the exact opposite of what is considered fit or strong. In fact, he was a near perfect antonym for everything that that is fitness. According to the Oxford Dictionary, fitness is defined as “The condition of being physically fit and healthy” (“Fitness | Definition of Fitness in English by Oxford Dictionaries.”). The first example of how Piggy was unfit is that he was overweight. There are infinite times in which he was referred to by mention of his weight. His name, Piggy, was even an allusion to his weight. The first time he was defined in such a way is early on in the novel, the opening page in fact. “He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat” (Golding, 7). Now, it is common knowledge that even mild obesity has extreme adverse effects on one's health. Extra fat puts immense stress on the heart, forcing it to beat much faster to circulate the body with oxygenated blood. It also increases internal body temperature, an unfavorable quality given he is on an island with sweltering heat. Another fault in Piggy’s health was that he had asthma. This breathing condition was detrimental to his survival. If ever he was excited, he would begin to have

His thoughts and ideas were completely out of his own self interest. The survival of the individual depended on the survival of the group. Piggy neglected this dogma when he prudently undermined the group mentality. Rather than thinking in interest of the group, he only thought of himself. His focus was constantly on his own problems. It was always his glasses, his asthma, and his voice. He thought most about the safety of his glasses instead of the need for fire. Whenever they needed his glasses to ignite the tinder, he squawked as if they couldn’t use them. Such is seen the first time they light the fire, “‘My specs!’ howled Piggy. ‘Give me my specs!’” (Golding, 41). Another example was his compulsive mentioning of his asthma. Whenever he was called upon to carry out a task, he referenced his asthma in order to shirk his duties. And he constantly complained about his amount of sway in the group. Infinite times, he protested that he deserved to speak. Continuing with Piggy’s voice, he never spoke constructively. Each time he received the conch to talk during assembly, he lashed out at the other boys. When put in a situation where he could have supplied constructive criticism, he chose to uselessly berate them. “‘I got this to say. You’re acting like a crowd of kids.’ … ‘Which is better- to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?’” (Golding, 180). It never helped his image; it only furthered his