Piggy’s Wits

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys that crash-land on an island and become savages. Piggy, one of the survivors of the plane crash, represents intelligence in the book. Piggy tries to organize the boys and create a list of names. He reasons that there could not be ghosts and monsters logically. Piggy plans a last attempt to return society and civilization to the island. Piggy represents man’s ability to reason, and he uses knowledge to help the survivors keep a society on the island.

First, Piggy attempts to generate a list of names for the group to keep everything organized. When the boys crash-land, Ralph, the leader, calls an assembly. The party must know who is who to prevent people from being lost or forgotten. After everybody arrives at the sound of the conch, Ralph says:

“ ‘We’d better have all names’…”

‘We got most names,’ said Piggy. ‘Got ‘em just now’ ” (21).

This is a sign of intellect, because organization is a symbol of civilization, and civilization is a symbol of intellect. Thus, when Piggy tried to create a list of names, he showed intellect. By trying to organize the public, Piggy reveals his gift of intelligence which he could use to help bring order to the island.

Second, Piggy figures out by using logic that beasts and ghosts could not exist. Ralph tells his big speech at his long assembly, and afterwards, when the meeting breaks up, tries to figure out what the beast is. Ralph asks Piggy if there are ghosts, to which Piggy determinedly answers:

“’Course there aren’t.”

“Why not?” [Ralph asks].

“’Cos things wouldn’t make sense. Houses an’ streets, an’ – TV – they wouldn’t work” (92).

Since Piggy could use simple logic that proves Ralph wrong, and no one else could figure this out, Piggy stands out as a knowledgeable person. Because of his asthma, he read many books, thus being more educated than the others. If he can use this ability in good ways, he can make life better for the islanders. He might even be able to get them off the island. Piggy uses logic that no one else thought of, showing that he plays an important part as an intelligent person.

Finally, Piggy tries to bring order and civilization to the island. After Ralph and Jack split up, Jack steals Piggy’s glasses Piggy tries to bring the glasses and everything else back, by talking some sense into Jack. When Ralph’s followers decide to bring back the glasses, Piggy comments, “What can he do more than he has? I’ll tell him what’s what. You let me carry the conch, Ralph. I’ll show him the one thing he hasn’t got” (171). At this point, Piggy decides to do a more or less heroic act that will cost him life. However, it is the most right thing to do, and if Jack doesn’t appeal, he never will. Piggy decides to do the most intelligent thing, persuasion, because he knows that force will never work. By creating a plan that will not only retrieve his sight, but peace to the island, Piggy shows a deep ability to think strategically.

Piggy attempts to make a list of names for the survivors. He uses logic to line out the possibility of the existence of beasts and ghosts. Piggy schemes a final try to organize the island and take away savagery. Piggy tries to help the group of boys keep humanity by using his intellectual abilities.

Piggy signifies a clam with a pearl of knowledge stuck inside. However, it is clamped shut by big iron hands of prejudice which affected Piggy badly throughout the book. With these hands on him, no one can reach inside and examine that beautiful pearl. Only time can make the iron rust away, and time he does not have. This book is not fully plausible, for society cannot be so cruel to a person such as Piggy. However, many intelligent people get under the curse of discrimination because everyone else is jealous of that pearl in them. If everyone can learn that everyone plays their own role in public, and that he or she doesn’t need to be violent. Even if they are jealous, force and killing should never be the answer.