Rather than respecting people for whom they are based on personality, society chooses to judge people based solely on looks. Given all they have been through as a group, why do the boys in ‘Lord of the Flies’ see Piggy as a nuisance? Piggy’s physical appearance leads him to be the subject of many jokes, and even after offering advice to better the island, the boys still resent his intelligence. By serving as the scapegoat throughout the novel, Piggy helps highlight how society prejudges the values of those who look or seem different than us.
Piggy is distinctly different from the other boys: he’s fat, asthmatic, and wears specs. He also differs from the boys in that he is far more intelligent and far more aware of their surroundings. The boys relentlessly target and ridicule Piggy at every opportunity because Piggy’s logic exposes their nonsensical and life-threatening behavior. He was the only person making adult decisions and abiding by the rules.
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Piggy, although his appearance differs from that of the other boys, attempts to have power in the society they are building. While Ralph begins to choose people to embark on an exploration of the island, Piggy believes he should go, but Ralph says: “You’re no good on a job like this… we don’t want you” (Golding, 23). Ralph implies that Piggy is not the best choice for this job due to his weight and asthma and believes he will not be able to make it across the island, but his reasons are deeper than this. When surrounded by all the boys, Ralph conforms to the idea that Piggy is incapable of being in a leadership position. Despite the fact that Piggy helped Ralph find the conch and set up assemblies, Ralph dismisses the idea of Piggy joining him in more physical activities and leaves him with the job of caring for the Littluns. Piggy has the brains for the job; every great idea is traced back to him, but most of the boys see him as a joke because he lacks the charisma that his colleague Ralph has.
Without his glasses, Piggy is blind, but his specs are used for a reason beyond that of his vision. After the boys steal Piggy’s specs, they attempt to build a fire, and as they struggle to get sparks flying, Jack makes a statement to Piggy: “‘A fat lot you tried’ said Jack contemptuously. ‘You just sat”’ (Golding, 41). The specs symbolize a more scientific aspect of the society in which they live. His specs allow the boys to start fires, and without them, there would be no fires. Piggy expects the boys to act properly and abide by the rules, so when the boys steal his specs, he is flustered. Piggy’s decision-making is based on logic and reasoning and this angers Jack because he is a more spontaneous and impromptu decision-maker, the other boys imitate what Jack does, so when Jack laughs or makes fun of Piggy, they all begin to laugh. Later in the novel, Jack breaks Piggy’s specs, this foreshadows his demise for Piggy needed his glasses to see moments before his death, but due to the decision of Jack he was left to suffer.
Piggy is not listened to. The boys discuss the idea of them being saved by a ship and Ralph tells the boys they will be saved, Piggy grabs the conch and says: “You said you wanted a small fire and you been and built a pile like a hayrick. If I say anything… you say shut up; but if Jack or Maurice or Simon -” (Golding, 43). Piggy comes to the realization that the boys do not listen to what he has to say, but if what he has said is said by someone else, they are praised for their ideas. Piggy gives the boys the facts on how they have almost set the island on fire, this leads him to laugh hysterically, leaving the other boys in silence. They see him as annoying but repetitive, but when Ralph makes his statement, they immediately agree.
Ridicule and jeering filled the majority of Piggy’s days on the island. His attempts to have more power in their society failed because his peers did not agree with following the rules as strictly as he did. He dealt with many flaws and so did his peers, but unlike Ralph and Jack, their flaws are internal, while Piggy’s are external, his weight, which the entire world can see and judge him for it. Just as in today’s society, those who are obese are easy targets for jokes. Ignorance is prevalent on the island, and Piggy was left to suffer because his intelligence is overlooked by his appearance.
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