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Essay On Piggy In Lord Of The Flies

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Author, William Golding, in his novel, "Lord of the Flies," follows a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and try to govern themselves. One of the boys, Piggy, is constantly bullied and considered a nuisance by the power-hungry boys on the island. Golding's use of an isolated setting in the midst of the other boys illustrates Piggy's struggle to liberate himself from their oppression. However the need to survive reveals Piggy's inventiveness and rational mindset. Piggy's overweight physique and glasses easily present him as an outcast to the other boys. His appearance made him an easy punchline for their cruel jokes. Piggy confides in Ralph hoping that the island will be a fresh start away from school bullies. …show more content…

He wanted the rules to be enforced, mostly for himself, so he constantly reminded the others of the rules. The idea of the conch is a rule Piggy attempts to push throughout the novel. He uses the conch to speak his innovative ideas and to ridicule the boy's childish behavior. The conch serves as a safe haven in which he is able to speak without being shut down by others. However this idea mostly backfires as Jack usually interrupts saying "Shut up Fatty." (page 18) The entire time they are trapped on the island, Ralph is determined to get rescued. He views a fire with a smoke signal to be the only way to be saved. Piggy's glasses are the only way the boys know to start a fire so this give him some degree of importance. Realizing Ralph's reliance on the fire and in otherways Piggy, Piggy begins to trust Ralph to protect him from Jack. His insecurities cause him to obsess over the idea of the fire to show that he does have some importance, while the savages are focused on power and hunting. Golding uses the struggle of power to demonstrate how destructive it can be. The desire for power causes the boys' civilization the crumble, discord and rivalries, and ends up destroying their island. Jack and Ralph's thirst for power in the end has them weeping for the end of

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