Lord of the Flies extract analysis: "How does Golding show the differences between the characters of Ralph and Piggy_ essay
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Course
English
Institution
Book
Lord of the Flies
Essay on extract from Lord of the Flies.
Question: 'How does Golding show the differences between the characters of Ralph and Piggy?'
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English Assignment 17B
Essay: How does Golding show the differences between the characters of Ralph and Piggy?
The extract is about two schoolboys, Piggy and Ralph, meeting for the first time after they
crashed on an isolated island. The two boys have obvious differences between them which
Golding highlights, using linguistic devices to convey meaning.
The extract begins when Piggy asks for Ralph’s name and “waited to be asked his name in
turn but this proffer of acquaintance was not made”. This shows Ralph’s lack of interest in
Piggy and his unwillingness to continue talking to him. Ralph continues exploring the island
whilst ignoring Piggy’s presence who ‘hung steadily at his shoulder’, showing his reliance on
Ralph. It later says “Ralph disentangled himself cautiously and stole away through the
branches”. Besides disentangling himself from the foliage, Ralph could have also been trying
to disentangle himself from Piggy, as he quickly ‘stole away’ whilst Piggy wasn’t there but
this could also suggest that Ralph is a more reserved person.
Ralph and Piggy’s different physiques are the most notable difference between them. Piggy
is often seen as a panting, sweaty mess, constantly having to wipe his glasses. He is regularly
referred to as ‘the fat boy’, telling us that he is overweight and that is how others would
often perceive him as. Piggy struggles to keep up with Ralph and is ‘breathing hard’, later
revealing that he has asthma. Golding represents Piggy as a weak, unfit and physically
vulnerable character with his weight problem, poor eyesight and asthma, showing us that
he has a very small chance of surviving on the island. Ralph, on the other hand, is described
as physically strong with a build similar to a ‘boxer’ with the ‘width and heaviness of (his)
shoulders’. His movements are described as quick and agile and ‘the fair boy’ can also be
seen as physically attractive. Ralph is more adventurous and bolder, apparent when he
‘leapt back on the terrace’, whereas Piggy is seen as more cautious with his movements as
he ‘lowered himself over the terrace and sat down carefully’.
Piggy is also self-conscious, evident when he “looked critically at Ralph’s golden body and
then down at his own clothes…then he opened the zipper with decision and pulled the
whole windbreaker over his head”. This suggests that Piggy is self-conscious about his
weight, most likely from the bullying he used to receive at school, which is revealed when
he says ‘so long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school’. He further
explains: “The fat boy glanced over his shoulder, then leaned toward Ralph/ He whispered/
‘They used to call me “Piggy”.’” The word ‘whispered’ and ‘glanced over his shoulder’ shows
his embarrassment and hesitation to reveal his nickname but he does anyways, naively
choosing to trust Ralph and create some sort of bond between them, but this backfire when
Ralph ‘shrieked with laughter’, reminding us of Ralph’s innocence and how easily humoured
a child his age (“twelve years and a few months”) can be. This reveals how socially
inexperienced and awkward ‘the fat boy’ is, but also draws sympathy from the reader at his
attempts to converse with and befriend Ralph. Ralph, in contrast to Piggy, shows more
confidence in his actions and speech, although he does not speak much throughout the
extract.
Golding also displays the differences between the two boys in their reaction to being
stranded on the island. Ralph is more focused on exploring the island. It says he was “forced
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