Piggy In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

Piggy is one of the main characters in the book Lord of the Flies and despite his physical health and inability to swim, he is an important character that greatly affects Ralph and Jack's decisions due to his intelligence. Near the beginning of the book, you quickly learn that Piggy is a plump boy that has asthma and has been wearing specs since he was three. You can also tell that Piggy is a friendly person because during Ralph's small laughing mania at the name 'Piggy', "Piggy grinned reluctantly". (11) As the book progresses, we will eventually learn about the symbolic meaning of Piggy's specs and how Piggy views the world. Symbolically, his glasses represent technological advancement since it was used to make the fire when Jack pointed and said "His specs – use them as burning glasses!" (40) and a clear view of the world with law and order since it was always Piggy who emphasized the conch's power and the importance of following the laws. Piggy prioritizes
After snatching Piggy's glasses, the boys created a fire using the wood and leaves that they collected in a pile. At first, the fire was meant to create smoke so that the boys could signal a ship for help. Then it started to become a wildfire once the boys could not control the fire and were excited "at the power set free below them." (44) At first, the fire was meant for a good purpose but grew into something the boys did not plan for in the beginning. Destruction. I say beginning because when near the end of the book, Jack and his hunters decide to use the fire as a way of getting Ralph out of the forest so that they could basically kill him. "The fire was a big one and the drum-roll that he thought was left so far behind was nearer." (197) Ralph thought the destruction that the fire would cause would be over, but it ended up making a reappearance near the end of the