Lord of the Flies Piggy
by William Golding

Physical: Again, he is probably close in age to Jack and Ralph, but his physique is quite different. Piggy is shorter than Ralph, very fat -- as the name suggests - wears glasses, and has asthma which disables him to do any work on the island. Golding's descriptions of Piggy are often very cruel. He once describes him as a "bag of fat." Piggy's real name is never known and for some reason he doesn't attempt to make it so. He often refers to his auntie who it is assumed he used to live with.

Involvement: Piggy is a key character in the novel. He is much like Ralph in that he knows right from wrong, but he differs in that he never strays from this knowledge as Ralph sometimes does. Always supporting Ralph, he is the most intelligent of the lot. Unfortunately, he is somewhat whiny and is constantly joshed by the boys -- even Ralph -- for his size, his inability to work, and his specs. Golding uses him to -- among other things -- show the reader that often times society singles out a person or group of people to look down upon so that they can feel superior and secure: "Piggy was once more the center of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal." In the end of the novel, Jack's tribe kills Piggy and destroys the conch.