Piggy's Power In Lord Of The Flies

The unequal power dynamic and dismissive behavior of Ralph towards Piggy in William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies contributes to the breakdown of social order on the island, ultimately leading to the boys' descent into savagery. In the first pages of the novel the author describes Piggy as the fat boy, and Ralph as the fair boy immediately setting up the unequal power dynamic between them (Golding 8). This dynamic is evident when Piggy secretly confides with Ralph that kids at school meanly nicknamed him ‘Piggy’ (11). Ralph “shriek[s] with laughter” when hearing this, and starts jumping up and chanting the nickname, ignoring Piggy’s request not to tell the others (11). This behavior alienates Piggy and sets the stage for Ralph's desire to consolidate power and his disregard to giving Piggy credit for his ideas, creating an imbalance of power that fuels the growing sense of division between the groups.

Ralph does not care about Piggy’s feelings or well-being. Not only is Ralph apathetic towards Piggy, he also takes Piggy’s ideas as his own, placing himself on an undeserving pedestal as the group leader. When Piggy and Ralph were stranded from the other boys on the island, it is Piggy who steps into action, finds the conch, and turns it into a way to call the others (15-16). Yet, Ralph is the one who blows the conch and indirectly takes credit for the ingenious idea. When voting for a chief on the island the boys exclaim, “[l]et him be chief with the trumpet-thing,” (22). In return, Ralph treats Piggy