Symbolism in Piggys Specs :: essays research papers

The Symbolism of Piggys glassesSymbolism pervades throughout the entire narrative of Lord of the Flies and is used to illustrate the fears and tensions that exist at bottom the boys trapped on the island. One of the novels strength is that it weaves these vivid symbols together to assist its themes and ideas rather than labour them.Piggys glasses become an important symbol representing the social baseball club of the boys as they try to determine how to lead themselves. Although not a leader Piggy is the voice of reason as he mends the early splits between the boys by way of compromising. Of all the boys on the island it is Piggy who can seen as the most symbolic. His organisation helps the boys make the early decisions and he can be seen as the inborn law of order, the reason thinking of humanity. Although despite being described as short and fat in the terms you might describe an brute as Piggy is the most willing to strive for survival in a civialised way. It is Piggy who say s the most important words describing how the boys should act "What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages. What are grownups going to think?"It is this desire for docorum that underlines Piggys belief that they will all be saved from the island - the only person to believe this will happen. accordingly Piggy himself becomes symbolic of the boys hope to be saved from the island. The hope literally comes from his glasses. Piggys spectacles are taken from him and used to start smoke signals. Without glasses Piggys sight, manage the boys vision of what is in their best interests, becomes blurred. Piggy, now weakened, is no longer able to aid Ralph in his struggle to lead the group. Without the voice of adulthood that is Piggy, Ralph loses his moral focusing and begins to make bad judgments. The greater Piggys will to escape and claim salvation so Ralph is drawn into the confusion and misguided pleasures of The Beast". As each hogget is killed so a small part of what Pig gy represents is corroded away.When Piggys glasses are broken all apparent hope of escaping with them is destroyed as well. By making the glasses useless the boys are rejecting what the spectacles stand for. Now no longer able to function at all the short and fat Piggy becomes an animal like the rest of the boys, where only the fittest survive.