piggy

• 'which is better, to have rules and agree to hunt and kill?'

  The rhetorical question is important in highlighting his intelligence and his to maintain a social order. It is interesting that he is assertive as it shows that contrary to what we would expect, he is willing to fight to maintain a strong sense of civilisation (link to Freudian theory)
• from a psychological perspective, Piggy represents the 'superego', which derives from Freud's theory of human nature...


  He stated that the mind is like an 'iceberg' and we as humans work hard to repress our hidden, dark desires which are our 'ID' Piggy is able to successfully repress this throughout the the novel and maintains a strong sense of civility
• 'the owner of the voice'

  the possessive case & the oracle-sounding moniker of 'the voice' ascribe a level of authority to the otherwise seemingly inferior character
• 'what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy'


  the phrase underscores Piggy's pivotal role as the intellectual anchor within the group. Despite facing ridicule and marginalization due to his physical weaknesses and lack of social stature, Piggy remains a steadfast voice of reason.
• 'what are we? humans? or animals? or savages?'

  the tricolon of rhetorical question underscores piggy's increasing alienation and isolations as he feels disconnected from those exhibiting more primitive behaviours. His concern about becoming 'savages' reflects his vulnerability and fear of losing the moral compass that defines him. He represents the voice of reason amidst the boys' descent into lawlessness and violence.
• Golding constructs Piggy as a mouthpiece 


  to illustrate the dangers of marginalising voices of reason and wisdom in society and to critique the breakdown of societal norms and the consequences of abandoning structured governance.
• 'piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs' 


  the enumeration of the syndetic list serves to isolate each quality of Piggy's which sets him apart of the group. The connotations of the words 'fat' and 'specs' imply physical differences, with piggy's 'specs' exhibit polysemy as they serve as being a symbol of intelligence, yet also are seen as a physical defect by the other boys.
• piggy's glasses are polysemic, and serve as 


  a microcosm of the various facets of the human condition
• 'the air of the true, wise friend called piggy'

  the use of the word 'air' suggests an essence of Piggy that conveys authenticity and sagacity. Piggy's characterisation as a 'true, wise friend' emphasises his loyalty and reliability. Through Golding's construction of Piggy as the intellectual and moral backbone of the group, Golding critiques the superficial judgements based on appearance and the tendency to marginalise those perceived as different.
• 'the sea breathed again in a long, slow sigh...the body of Piggy was gone'

  The personification of the sea suggests a deep, mournful response to Piggy's demise. The concept sea as an unbridgeable gulf aligns with the mythological idea of crossing into the realm of the dead, like that of both Simon and Piggy whose bodies are taken off by the sea. In this sense, the sea becomes a threshold between the known world and the mysterious unknown.
• piggy as a Promethean character

  an apt mythological parallel of Piggy could be the character of Prometheus, the Titan in Greek mythology known for his intelligence resourcefulness and benevolence towards humanity, akin to Piggy's character in the novel. When Prometheus steals fire from Mount Olympus and gives it to humanity, it parallels when Piggy's glasses are used to make fire.
• 'didn't you hear what the pilot said? about the atom bomb? they're all dead.' 


  through the rhetorical question, we can perceive the character of piggy to be Golding's mouthpiece. Golding lived through WWII and came to the conclusion that 'man produces evil like a bee produces honey'