Castle Rock
"'I don't care what you call me so long as...
it's not what they used to call me in school...
They used to call me Piggy!'"
Piggy is the fat boy who is the brunt of all the jokes and teasing in the novel. He is physically weak and constantly complains about his asthma. He is also myopic and almost blind without his glasses. But Piggy is also rational and has an understanding about life. He constantly warns the boys about their behavior and foolish ways. He also becomes Ralph's best friend and serves as a sounding board and adviser to him.
''We've got to have rules and obey them.
After all, we're not savages. We're English,
and the English are best at everything.''
Ralph is the protagonist of the novel who at first is overjoyed to be on a tropical island free from adult restraints. To express his excitement, he stands on his head, foreshadowing the Topsy-turvy nature of things to come. By nature, he is an innocent, mild- tempered boy who accepts leadership when it is thrust on him. He serves as a democratic leader who tries to keep the boys together on the island and uses a conch shell to mildly show his authority. He thinks of building shelters to protect them and a signal fire for their rescue. He befriends Piggy, the fat boy that receives taunts and teases from the other boy, and learns to rely on Piggy's intellectual reasoning
Ralph has courage when the occasion demands it, but he really longs for the secure world of grown-ups, especially when order starts breaking down on the island. He dreams about a rescue and insists the signal fire burn at all times so that they can be seen. Ralph knows that the main reason for the disorder on the island is Jack, the antagonist and representation of evil in the novel. There is a constant conflict between the two boys. Ralph stands for civilized ideals, while Jack leads a tribe of savages and lapses into primitive rituals.
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