Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Ralph can all be seen as symbolic characters in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. Golding uses symbolism to display his belief of the nature of mankind. He believes that the change from good to evil, from civilization to primitivism is unavoidable if there is not any direct authority over people. .
Piggy, an overweight asthmatic boy about 8 years in age, who cannot see without his glasses represents physical weakness and mental strength. His poor vision and obesity immediately establish to the reader his traits of physical infirmity and incompetence. The glasses, however, help illustrate his intellectual strength, his ability to think situations over logically and use reason, rather than emotions to decide upon important dilemmas. Piggy does not let his emotions guide him. Through the course of the novel, we observe how the allegorical society on this uninhabited tropical island in the Pacific Ocean makes the transition from carefully organized democratic reasoning to feeling-driven anarchy. .
The climax of this transition is marked by the death of Piggy and the destruction of the conch shell, which has very similar symbolism to Piggy. The gradual shift is also measured by various incidents that hinder Piggy's mental reasoning, such as the breaking of his spectacles, and the loss of the boys' faith in him. Piggy's character is used by William Golding to show how even the best solution to a problem can easily be overlooked because of the lack of respect, pre-established prejudices, and the lack of mature thinking processes. .
Jack's role in " Lord of the Flies" is to show the transition from the opposite perspective. Jack Merridew first appears in the novel leading his choir in a strictly organized fashion. He is the epitome of discipline. Then, for some reason, he becomes gradually obsessed with the killing of pigs, stealing from the other boys, and fighting the 'beast'.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, it tells a story where boys were left stranded on a deserted island due to a horrible plane crash. ... The world in literature plays a role in the world of reality, by describing reality with a twist of sybolism to make people think to a certain extent. ...
