Piggy Lord Of The Flies Civilization Analysis

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The Rational Side of Civilization In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys struggle to fill the roles of adults and maintain order while stranded on an island. Conflict arises when the boys start to value innovation and hunting more than their civilized roots. Despite the loss of innocence among some boys, Piggy, an overweight, underappreciated outcast, attempts to hold on to rational aspects of civilization, preventing his descent from innocent to savage, demonstrating that the use of rationalism in times of chaos slows the progression into savagery.
Piggy’s dialogue shows how Piggy is a voice of reason and adult figure. In one of the many meetings the boys have, Piggy says “Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?” indicating Piggy’s desire for rules and ethics (Golding 180). It is also apparent that Piggy values and contributes to the rules when he says, “I got the conch, I got the right to speak” (Golding 44). Though he cannot physically contribute to their society, Piggy strives to contribute in ways he can. Piggy is described as “so full of pride in
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When the boys gradually go from killing pigs to killing boys, such as Simon and Piggy, the hope, intelligence and rationalism once represented die with them. Cruel actions towards Piggy, such as in Chapter 7 when Jack physically attacks him, contribute to Piggy's loss of innocence shows the vulnerability in Piggy’s reason. Intimidation floods Piggy's mind throughout the rest of the novel.When Simon is killed in Chapter 9 Ralph is shocked because Piggy does not mourn the loss of their fellow tribe member. In contrast to Ralph, who mourns the loss of Simon, Piggy mourns the loss of what Simon represents- hope, sanity, and innocence, as he continues to claim his death was “accidental”. At this time, Piggy also realizes that, without Simon, his relationship with Ralph has dehumanized and lost all its