Piggy

• "Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, ass-mar, and specs and a certain disinclination for manual labour."
• A working class boy
• Overweight and a ‘hypochondriac’ (Ralph)
• Intelligent – identifies the conch and tells Ralph how to use it
• Physically weak – asthma prevents him blowing into the conch
• Very adult-like: insists on rules and order
• Sees everyone as important – makes an effort to recall everyone’s name (ironic)
• Bullied – sees the conch and the following of rules and order a way of finally being heard
• A realist: "nobody knows where we are."
• Thoughts and values are modelled on authoritative adults, shown by the fact he regularly quotes his aunt (providing the only female voice in the novel)
• He is the adult of the island
• Struggles to see things from a child’s point of view (except when… sure the boys want the conch when they end up killing him)
• When discussing the behaviour on the island, he says what’s the grownups going to think? Emphasising his mourning of the loss of values, ethics, discipline, and decorum that caused the behaviour. 
• It is clear throughout the novel that Piggy will die (foreshadowing)
• In chapter 8, the pigs that the hunters slaughter are referred to as bloated bags of fat (p.146). This foreshadows Piggy’s death, as Roger sees Piggy as a bag of fat when he kills him (p.199). 
• No coincidence that the boys spend the whole novel obsessed with killing pigs (first mentioned in chapter 1, p.27) and ends with Roger killing Piggy (whose real name is never learnt). 
• In chapter 1, Piggy is sent away by Ralph, whilst Jack, Ralph and Simon heave a huge rock "smashing a deep hole in the forest". (p.25) 
• When Piggy dies, the conch ‘dies’ too, "[exploding] into a thousand white fragments" (p.209); 
• When Piggy dies, his brains leave his body, reminding us how clever he was and how he was the most intelligent boy on the island
• The loss of Piggy (the only adult- like person on the island)  foreshadows the arrival of a new  adult – the naval officer.
• He represents science
• Knows straight away that the beast isn’t real
• Glasses are key – represent science and technology and used to make fire. 
• Piggy's glasses: 

  • Advancement, innovation, discovery; 
  • Vision – sight – knowledge
• When broken, the glasses symbolise just how far from civilisation the boys have gone
• Is an outsider - ‘Shut up fatty’ 
• Represents science, knowledge and reason - ‘flashing glasses’ 
• Provides the only adult (and female) voice - ‘what’s the grownups going to think?’ ‘They'd meet and have tea and discuss’. ‘I thought they wanted the conch’. 
• Strong-willed but physically weak - ‘Piggy touched Ralph’s wrist. “Come away. There’s going to be trouble”.’ 
• Is a victim - ‘a bag of fat’, ‘his head opened and stuff came out’ 
• Piggy is logical and rational; he relies on the power of social convention - it was he who found the conch, which makes him the founder of the parliamentary society which the assembly creates.
• Piggy is overweight and bullied unceremoniously by Jack and some of his tribe.
• He frequently quotes his aunt, providing the only female voice throughout the novel.
• Piggy and the conch are destroyed at the same time, symbolising the end of the democratic power system.
• "He was shorter than the fair boy and very fat" ch1
• 'My auntie told me not to run... on account of my asthma' ch1
• 'We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting' ch1
• 'What intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy' Ch1
• 'Piggy knelt by him, one hand on the shell, listening and interpreting' ch2
• 'Acting like a crowd of kids' ch2