Piggy's Literary Connections In Lord Of The Flies

Piggy’s Literary Connections Golding writes, “A great clamor rose among the savages. Piggy shouted again” (180). William Golding connects Piggy in the Lord of the Flies with symbolism, foreshadowing, and tragedy. To begin with, in the Lord of the flies, William Golding uses symbolism to describe the importance of Piggy and his glasses. Ralph and Jack were trying to start a fire on the mountain when Jack had the idea of using Piggy’s glasses. “His specs-use them as burning glasses” (Golding 40) Piggy’s glasses symbolizes power and a connection to humanity. The boys used his glasses several times throughout the book to start signal fires. The glasses signified humanity and a connection to the real world. Without Piggy and his glasses the island would’ve never caught on fire and the remaining boys would have never gotten off the island.

Piggy was able to understand things more quickly than others. Piggy was aware of the problem before the rest of the boys. “What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages” (Golding 91)? Piggy thought that the boys themselves were the barbarians, and in the end, they ended up killing him. Piggy suggested early on that the boys were the ones that they needed to fear. He knew more than the others and in the end, it hurt him.

Another one of the literary devices that William uses is tragedy. Piggy’s death showed a loss of humanity and a loss of control. His death was a catastrophe. William Golding wrote, “The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee… Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, traveled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went… Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across the square rock in the sea…” (181) The boys on the island killed Piggy getting rid of the one who brought the item that was needed to get off the island. The remaining boys were