Symbolism Of Piggy In Lord Of The Flies

Golding’s purpose of characterizing Piggy as overweight, wearing glasses, and having asthma is to alienate him, and to emphasize his physical detriment. From the introduction, Piggy is characterized as a noteworthy intellectual, and a physical subordinate. For the duration of the novel, Piggy faced issues that were brought upon by his ailments, such as not being able to swim or run. Although it is stereotypical for the most intelligent character to wear glasses, Piggy’s symbolize the power that is held by science and technology. In order for the boys to light the fire, they needed Piggy's glasses. Furthermore, since Piggy is not as physically able as the other boys, he does not fit into Jack’s society where the main focus is hunting, and consequently,
this creates tension between the boys and encourages Jack’s hate for him. Lastly, Piggy is the closest thing the boys have to an adult, and his physical alienation proves this, from the start we knew Piggy was different than the other boys. And while they played games and hunted pigs, Piggy tried his hardest to show the importance of civilization and logic.