Lord of the Flies
From the moment Piggy meets the boys on the island he is made fun of. He was still getting bullied in the moments leading up to his death which means. Through the entirety of the novel, Piggy, a contributing member of the group is constantly being bullied. Piggy is constantly bullied through the entirety of the novel. This takes a significant toll on his well-being. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses Jack’s treatment of Piggy to represent how Piggy would be treated for the rest of his life. From that first moment, he was bullied by Jack for his weight, that predetermined how he would be treated for the rest of his life.
It’s no secret that Jack and Piggy don’t get along, it started from the very first moment that they met. At the beginning of the novel, while the boys are grouping up, Jack became annoyed by Piggy and decided to speak his mind. Jack says, “You’re talking too much, shut up Fatty.” (Golding 21) This scene sets the tone for how the boys would treat him for the rest of his days. According to a source at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, “Children who are obese are less liked by their peers, and picked on and made fun of more often than peers of healthier weights, the study found. In response, heavy children are more likely to be withdrawn and show signs of depression.” Piggy is arguably the least liked person on the island. He is bullied because of his weight and starts acting more withdrawn as the book progresses. He is showing all the signs of a child being bullied. Although Ralph sticks up for him at that moment, this would mean nothing for the long term future. Jack picked up on the power dynamic of the boys and used that to his advantage to build power for himself. He understood that Piggy could be walked over with little to no consequence.
As humans, we all have a breaking point.Jack tried to get Piggy to reach his numerous times. Piggy was pretty resilient for a while before this occurrence caused everything to take a turn for the worse. During another group meeting, Piggy tells the boys that he is scared. And of course, Jack teases him because of it. Piggy tries to defend his right to speak, but his defense was of no use. And the situation becomes increasingly funny to the boys on the island. “A pall stretched for miles away from the island. All the boys except Piggy started to giggle; presently they were shrieking with laughter. Piggy lost his temper.” (Golding 45) Piggy has finally lost it, he’s reached his breaking point. San Diego Therapist Ann Steele says,” It is actually emotional harm that lasts much longer than physical harm. Especially during childhood, when bodily damage heals readily, the victim’s self-image may be permanently maimed:” We must remember that all the boys have at this point, is each other. There is nobody else actively in their life. Having the only people in your life constantly make fun of you is not good for anyone's mental health. His mental health has gotten to the point where he is not able to make sensible decisions and is acting irrationally (losing his temper). Now this will only make the situation worse because Jack has gotten what he wants out of Piggy, a reaction. Piggy’s reaction to the bullying will only encourage more bullying to the future.
The effects of bullying on Piggy has reached its peak. After the constant emotional abuse perpetrated by the boys on his island, he finally understands how things work on the island. Piggy says, “You got him over the fire; an’ you’re chief an’ he isn’t… He can’t hurt you: but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s me.” (Golding 81) Piggy is predicting his murder. He has opened his eyes up to what the future will unfold, and that it won’t be good for him. The tension between Jack and Ralph is at an all-time high, and if Jack can’t get to Ralph. He’ll get to whoever’s closest to Ralph which in this case is Piggy. Lecturer in Psychology, Calli Tzani-Pepelasi says, “For many victims who are trying to overcome the experience, the loss of trust is perhaps the most challenging consequence.” He can’t even trust the boys on the island to not kill him. The loss of trust held by Piggy is apparent.
In conclusion, the rest of Piggy’s life was set out for him the first time he was bullied on the island. Jack picks up on how things run when first meeting the group and elevates himself by pushing down Piggy. Jack got Piggy to his breaking point by getting almost everyone on the island to laugh at him. And eventually Piggy was able to predict his early death.
Works-cited
Steel, Anne. “The Psychological Effects of Bullying on Kids & Teens.” Masters In Psychology Guide, mastersinpsychologyguide.com/articles/psychological-effects-bullying-kids-teens/.
Tzani-Pepelasi, Calli. “Childhood Bullying Can Cause Lifelong Psychological Damage – Here's How to Spot the Signs and Move On.” The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2019, theconversation.com/childhood-bullying-can-cause-lifelong-psychological-damage-heres-how-to-spot-the-signs-and-move-on-100288.
Yu, KwiYun. “Fat-Shaming Begins Early in Childhood, and It Hurts.” Swedish, 25 Jan. 2019, blog.swedish.org/swedish-blog/fat-shaming-begins-early-in-childhood-and-it-hurts.
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