Piggy's Glasses

In science, biologists use some species as a “bioindicator” in a marine ecosystem, that reflect on the quality of the environment. This method is very accurate and a bioindicator species can detect problems that physical and chemical testing cannot detect. Similarly, in William Golding’s adventure novel Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys are stranded on an island and build a miniature society there, and there are many symbols within this society that reflect on the quality of the environment there. The unfit but intelligent boy named Piggy owns a pair of glasses can be used by the reader throughout the novel as a bioindicator for the quality of the environment there on the island. Piggy’s glasses represent rational thinking and reflect on the strength of the boys’ reasoning; as the logical reasoning of the boys begins to atrophy, the glasses also become damaged.
This is shown because at first, they still follow the old rules of their society,as their elected leader Ralph, is able to attain their cooperation to finish the tasks that they need to do, but when they need to build a fire, they realized that they had no means to light one, until one of the boys suddenly have an idea and he shouts to the others:: “his [Piggy’s] specs-use them as burning glasses!” (40). This not only shows that the glasses are a critical part of their life because they need it to light and relight the fire, but also symbolizes that they will need this rational approach that the glasses represent for their everyday routine; as the boys still have strong reasoning at this point, the glasses are in good