Piggy Flashcards
What does Piggy represent?
Knowledge, rationality, scientific exploration.
How is Piggy described? (And how is sympathy built for him?)
Piggy is asthmatic, has glasses, is overweight, doesn’t talk with perceived pronunciation, his parents have died and he says his aunt owns a sweetshop, where he can eat as many sweets as he wants. He also quotes his aunt, so is the only character to supply a female voice.
What are Piggy’s values and thoughts and how does he try to uphold them?
- His intellects only benefit through Ralph
- Relies too much on social convention: thinking the conch enables him to speak, for example, and that this will brig results.
- He is pragmatic and appears to “look for a formula” when analysing Simon’s death
What are Piggy’s attitudes towards civilization?
Piggy is so intent on preserving some remnant of civilization on the island that he assumes that Jack has attacked Ralph’s group so that they can get the conch when they have come for fire. Piggy is dependant on the adult world and is in constant contact with civilized authority. He asks “What’s grownups goin’ to think?” when the littlun dies, because he’s worried about this loss of morality.
What does religious connection does Piggy’s appearance have?
It relates to the religious sin of gluttony. The Lord of the Flies is the literal translation of Beelzebub, the devil of gluttony in Christianity.
