Lord of the Flies Group

Question:

choirstar92
choirstar92
Student
High School - 10th Grade

Why does Piggy die in "Lord of the Flies"?  What does his death mean?

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Posted by choirstar92 on Sunday May 3, 2009 at 11:24 AM and tagged with characters, death, lord of the flies, piggy, significance.

Answers:

  1. surfpoetess
    surfpoetess Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Piggy represents the intelligent, civilized mind. When he is killed, he is trying to intellectually reason with the boys. He has to be killed, because he's making too much sense. Piggy is the one with the special knowledge, for instance how to blow the conch and summon the other boys. Once Piggy dies, all reason dies with him. His death symbolizes the end of reason. When people function without reason, they move to the level of id and destroy one another. In a symbolic way, Golding is saying that when the people of a society stop thinking and just react, the end of that society is at hand.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/flies/

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    Posted by surfpoetess on Monday May 4, 2009 at 7:45 PM