Explore how Golding presents the character of Piggy in Lord of the Flies. Remember to support your answer with relevant textual details.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme. The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. AO1: Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and synthesise relevant textual detail to support exploration and analysis.
2. AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure of texts, and explain how these are used to create meanings and effects.
3. AO4: Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which texts were written and received.
4. AO5: Communicate clearly and cogently in writing, using appropriate vocabulary and grammar and accurate spelling and punctuation.
5. Indicative Content (Examiners should reward any valid interpretations):
6. - Candidates should explore how Golding presents the character of Piggy.
7. - Responses may include exploration of: Piggy’s physical appearance and initial vulnerability: asthma, glasses, overweight; His intelligence and rationality: his ideas (e.g. the conch, the signal fire, shelters), his attempts to maintain order and logic; His role as a voice of reason and scientific thought: contrast with the boys' impulsiveness and superstition; His dependency on Ralph and reliance on adult rules and structures; His social ostracism and lack of respect from the other boys: constant interruption, dismissal of his ideas, name-calling; His loyalty and moral compass, even in the face of fear and savagery; His symbolic significance: intellect, civilisation, vulnerability of reason in the face of primal instinct; His death as a turning point and the ultimate demise of civilised order.
8. - Candidates should also consider Golding’s techniques in presenting Piggy.
9. - For example, candidates may refer to: Language: direct speech revealing his intelligence/frustration, others’ dismissive language towards him, narrative description of his physical state; Structure: his presence at key moments (e.g., discovery of the conch, assemblies, confrontations with Jack), his demise as a climax; Form: his role as a foil to other characters (e.g. Jack, Ralph), his allegorical representation of intellect/fragility of civilisation; Context: scientific rationalism vs. primal instincts, post-war disillusionment with human nature, the vulnerability of the intelligent/unpopular in society.