And This Little Piggy Almost Went All the Way Home
William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, is a tale of British students trapped upon
an uninhabited island after an unexplained plane incident. The students must learn to
Dr. Robert H. Polchaunet
University of Southern Arizona
overcome their own reliance on technology in order to survive the natural lands of the
island. Throughout the children’s struggle, they learn how the natural world is a wondrous place to exist
and, to extend the idea, how technology is inherently evil and the world would be much better if all people
returned to the natural state of existence.
One boy on the island constantly stands out as different
from all the rest. Piggy, whose real name is never given, is a symbol
for technology and progress. He is connected to the modern world
with his short and fat stature (Golding 7), his reliance on his “specs”
(9), and his asthma. These conditions force him to be reliant on
technology, and present him as a symbol of technology. He is thus
“Piggy, with his
reliance on
technology, is the
only one who
really needs to be
found in order to
survive.”
doomed to die in the natural surroundings: “[The novel] serves to highlight what is most culpable in
Piggy’s outlook: a naïve and potentially disastrous faith in science” (Reilly 8). Piggy even seems to lack
human body parts, as, “Piggy’s glasses flashed” (Golding 24) instead of his eyes flashing, not only
removing him from the human race, but also accenting his reliance on technological advances. Piggy
constantly is forced to remind Ralph why they need smoke because Piggy, with his reliance on
technology, is the only one who really needs to be found in order to survive. The resentment of this
technological being becomes more and more habitual as the children reach further and further into their
natural state: “Piggy once more was the center of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and
normal” (Golding 149). This shows how the follies of the modern world are simple to attack and easy to
recognize, where it is nearly impossible to find flaws in the natural world.
Piggy’s knowledge and technological ideas, which condemn him, are also what allow him to
remain alive. The children first attempt to create a fire, only to realize they do not know how to make one
without the assistance of man-made matches. Piggy’s glasses are then stolen, and used to create fire,
paralleling his transformation into an object of abuse utilized for the sole purpose of helping the others. If
he was not needed, he would be killed, as shown by the children’s resentment toward Piggy and his
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handicaps. The only other character that appears to have any concerns for Piggy’s well being is Ralph,
the other modernized character, who desires the return to civilization, unlike the others who have all fallen
away and desire to remain in their natural state of being. The minority standing of Piggy, despite being a
central character, displays him as a foil to the rest of the islanders with the majority goal to remain on the
island.
Piggy’s death occurs simultaneously with the destruction of the conch, allowing the islanders to
truly break free from technology. The only mourning of the death is from Ralph, who never truly was a
friend to Piggy as shown by his complete disregard of Piggy’s sole request; “‘I don’t care what they call
me,’ [Piggy] said confidentially, ‘so long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school[, Piggy]”
(Golding 11). This riddance of technology allows the islanders to truly become free, up until their forced
return to the world of science.
The leader of the island, Ralph, is chosen because of his obvious natural power. All the children
idolize him at the beginning of the novel, as even Piggy notes “Ralph’s golden body” (Golding 11). The
boy is described by Golding as a natural fighter and survivor to the point of almost appearing a god:
He was old enough, twelve years and a few months, to have lost the prominent tummy of
childhood and not yet old enough for adolescence to have made him awkward. You could
see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went,
but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil. … [H]e sat
back and looked at the water with bright, excited eyes. (Golding 10)
Ralph is chosen almost unanimously, with only the choir unwillingly voting against him. Piggy, again being
the opposite of the majority, does not want to vote for Ralph but does so. Ralph instantly forms a bond
with Jack, the other physically-talented child, and enjoys his role as ruler of the island.
As the novel progresses, Ralph’s leadership wanes. His friendship with Jack decays and
eventually breaks off completely, leading Ralph to replace Jack with Piggy. This newfound friendship with
Piggy leads to Ralph’s transformation into a creature bent upon preserving the technological world. His
transformation from natural
to modern forms an ironic
parallel to the standard
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progression of a character, as normally a character obtains self-knowledge, but Ralph undergoes a loss
of knowledge from the constant involvement with the modern character, Piggy. Yet even with this failing,
his natural instincts remain, as he constantly forgets why he needs the fire. Every time the fire is
mentioned, Ralph must ponder why this fire is so important, only with Piggy stating again and again it was
needed to be rescued. Ralph’s subconscious’ attempts to remain natural allow some characters to retain
faith in him, so in the assault upon the conch, only Piggy dies. The opposite of his desire to remain was
true at the beginning, as Ralph would state, “I was talking about smoke! Don’t you want to be rescued?
All you can talk about is pig pig pig!” (Golding 54). This additional ironic contrast shows Ralph’s lack of
leadership, as even when he was connected toward the island and was a natural being, he desired to be
a being of technology and to return to the modern world.
Jack Merridew is instantly set apart from the rest of the children. He already is a leader of the
choir (soon to be hunters), he is the opposite of Piggy, possessing a full name instead of a complete lack
of one, and he is the ideal character in Lord of the Flies. Jack does not concern himself at all about
rescue, and all he desires is to hunt and become the most powerful upon the
“His ability to
persuade,
overpower,
and rule set
him apart from
all the other
children…”
island. He convinces Ralph to name the choir “hunters” (with himself at the head)
and despite the requirement of maintaining the fire, as a hunter, he ignores his
duty in order to hunt a pig. Jack, although initially unwilling to kill pigs because of
the remaining modern rules lingering in his brain, becomes the most powerful
killer on the island. He realizes the necessities to survive as man was meant to,
and does so. Because of his knowledge on how one is supposed to live, Jack eventually convinces all the
older children to become his followers except for Piggy, Ralph, and the twins. Epstein acknowledges this
by stating, “Jack, in whom the spark of wildness burns hotter and closer to the surface than in Ralph and
who is the leader … on the island” (206). His ability to persuade, overpower, and rule set him apart from
all the other children, and show how a complete connection to one’s natural self is much better then
reliance upon modern advancements and ideas.
Lord of the Flies is written in a third person omniscient style, the most basic and original of all
writing styles. This is utilized as a basic connection to the natural writing style of stories. The author is
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able to relate all ideas and intentions, instead of it being focused upon one flawed, modern character’s
view of the events.
The island on which the novel takes place is a utopian place, untouched by human
modernization: “‘This is real exploring,’ said Jack. ‘I bet nobody’s been here before’” (Golding 27). It is
made perfectly for the children with the characters discovering a clearing, “[with] a criss-cross pattern of
trunks, very convenient to sit on” (12). But from the moment the modernized people (especially Piggy)
land upon the island, it begins to decay. The spot where Piggy is first introduced is viewed as a “long scar
smashed into the jungle” (6). The children destroy the natural perfection by lighting the island on fire, and
in the very end, mankind’s war is brought to the island with the arrival of a battle cruiser to remove the
children. Reilly remarks, “Lord of the Flies is a tragedy … of environment” (7). But for the whole novel it
occurs on this utopian island, and then, “[t]he whole book is symbolic in nature” (Epstein 204). The
triumph of Jack parallels the soon-to-be triumph of the island, removing at last Ralph and his modern
ways.
The novel occurs in the middle of a war. Although none is
specified, it can easily be assumed that it is World War II, from the time
the book was written and the type of ship that discovers the characters.
This was chosen because of the overlying context of the war, especially
with the invention of the nuclear bomb: “Didn’t you hear what the pilot
said? About the atom bomb? They’re all dead” (Golding 14), the
holocaust lead by the Nazis, and other terrible aspects of war brought
about by modernization and inventions. The hope for a natural world
works well with the contrast of the atrocities of warfare.
One huge atrocity is the death of man. A nameless soldier is
blown up and his body falls via parachute to the island. The twins
witness it at night and assume it is a beast bent on the destruction of the
children, noting,
“It was furry. There was something moving behind its head—wings. The beast moved
too—” …
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“There were eyes—”
“Teeth—”
“Claws—” …
The circle of boys shrank away in horror. (Golding 100)
The man distorted beyond human recognition represents exactly how the novel is a “text of an innocent
victimized by a corrupt[, modern] society” (Reilly 8).
In order to fend off the beast, the boys reach further into their natural ways and strengthen
themselves as a result, by having Jack kill a mother pig, likely the largest upon the island, and using its
head as a ward against the evil creature. Although misguided in the supposed intentions of the pig’s
head, it does serve as a ward against the entrance of the best of humanity. By becoming the voice of the
evil modernization, the head serves to teach Simon of the dangers of technology;
“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!” said the head. For a
moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the
parody of laughter. “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the
reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are?” … The Lord of the Flies spoke in
the voice of a schoolmaster … “This has gone on quite far enough. My poor, misguided
child, do you think you know better than I do?” (Golding 143)
The modern ways have become embedded in man, and the only hope of escape is a complete return to a
natural state of existence.
These hunted pigs serve as proof of the natural bounty of the world. They allow the children to
strengthen themselves with during hunts, as well as provide nourishment with no bounds. The fact that
Piggy is named as he is is no coincidence, as Piggy is a pig, meant to be manipulated to the natural
man’s own use and enjoyment. Piggy’s technology and modernization do nothing to help him, just as the
inventions of war do nothing to help the deceased soldier.
Golding’s novel portrays the struggle between nature and modernization by having boys live
within a society without modern bounds but having them be mature enough to know how to survive. They
succeed and discover how a natural life free of the modern pressures and limits is far greater than any
other alternative. Lord of the Flies is meant to warn mankind of how “[its] naïve trust in technology breeds
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a contempt for reality” (Reilly 9-10), and how to avoid the inherent evils of modern ways by returning to a
life of natural existence.
Works Cited
Epstein, E. L. "Notes on Lord of the Flies." Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee, 1954.
203-08. Print.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee, 1954. Print.
Reilly, Patrick. "The Failed Schoolroom." Lord of the Flies Fathers and Sons. New York: Twayne, Maxwell
Macmillan Canada, Maxwell Macmillan International, 1992. 7-11. Print.
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