Lord of the Flies: Piggy

Question 1

what is piggy’s appearance in the beginning of the novel?

Answer 1

• “He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat”
• “An expression of pain and inward concentration altered the pale contours of his face”
• “Adjusted the spectacles on his nose”

Question 2

What is piggy’s background?

Answer 2

• History of being bullied
• Lives with his auntie
• Has asthma
• Physically unfit and severely short sighted

Question 3

Key quotes in the beginning of the novel

Answer 3

“Aren’t there any grownups at all”
“They used to call me piggy”
“A conch… dot it’s ever so valuable… we can use this to call the others. Have a meeting”
‘Like a pack of kids’
‘I got the Conch just you listen’

Question 4

What does piggy represent?

Answer 4

• The scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization

Question 5

What aspect of Freudian’s theory does Piggy represent’?

Answer 5

• Super ego - Caring, nurturing, puts the ‘self’ last

Question 6

What does Piggy’s specs represents?

Answer 6

a valuable tool –> get stolen near the ned of the novel by Jack and some hunters
insight

Question 7

‘I got the conch! Just you listen!.. the first time Ralph says ‘‘fire’’ you goes howling and screaming up this here mountain. Like a pack of kids!’

Answer 7

• The exclamation “Just you listen!” conveys urgency and a desire to be heard, reflecting the struggle for power
• “howling and screaming,” the speaker highlights their descent into primal behaviour, emphasizing the loss of civility and the innate savagery
• “like a pack of kids” further suggests that in spite the boys’ attempts to act civil they ultimately succumbing to their chaotic nature

Question 8

How does Piggy nurture/ think of the others?

Answer 8

‘All of them other kids’
‘We’ll want to know all their names’

Question 9

How does Piggy address the boys’ behaviour in the middle of the novel?

Answer 9

‘What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What’s grownups going to think?

Question 10

What does Piggy think of the beast?

Answer 10

‘I know there isn’t no beast - not with claws and all that…I know there isn’t no fear…Unless we get frightened of people.’

Question 11

How does Piggy react to Simon’s death?

Answer 11

‘It was an accident that’s what it was’
‘We never done nothing, we never seen nothing.’

Question 12

What happens when Piggy dies? What does this mean?

Answer 12

‘conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist’

Question 13

How does Piggy link to the theme of civilisation and barbarity?

Answer 13

• Piggy’s death shows that the rest of the boys have become completely savage
• conch dies with him = last hope of civilisation is gone
• Piggy tries to maintain rules and to impose the civilised society he craves on the other boys

Question 14

What qualities does Piggy have?

Answer 14

Intelligent: “had been shown was traceable to Piggy”
Logical: “The first thing we ought to have made was shelters”
Loyal: “the true, wise friend called Piggy”

Question 15

What is the importance of Piggy’s nickname and why Golding never reveals his true name?

Answer 15

He is defined by his appearance which is comical to the other boys making him an outsider and vulnerable.

Question 16

How does Golding show that Piggy cares about proper behaviour?

Answer 16

• Always reminding the others that the conch gives him the right to speak
• reminds them that Ralph is chief and that they should obey them
• tells Jack he should give him back his glasses as its the right thing to do, shows he can be brave
• wonders what grownups would think and longs for the order and structure that the adults impose

Question 17

In what ways does Piggy act like an adult?

Answer 17

• says the boys are like a “crowd of kids” when they rush off to light a fire, goes after them with the “martyred expression of a parent”
• when Ralph worries about what will happen, that’s when Piggy says they just have to carry on because that’s what “grown-ups would do”

Question 18

How does Piggy link to the theme of power and leadership?

Answer 18

• doesn’t have any leadership qualities himself, but he sees them in Ralph and stays loyal to him when all the others join Jack’s tribe

Question 19

Why does Golding give Piggy glasses?

Answer 19

shows his insight on others:
- sees that Jack is full of hatred and knows that he could hurt people
- doesn’t think anyone should be frightened on the island, unless they are “frightened of people”
- realises the boys are losing hold on normal behaviour