What impressions do you get of Piggy and Ralph?

Answer 1

Piggy is very fat and shorter than Ralph, he wears thick spectacles and suffers from Asthma. He uses his asthma as an excuse not to exert himself physically. Piggy is lazy. Piggy is fairly intelligent but not as intelligent as he thinks he is. He is rather intolerant of anyone else expressing an opinion which differs from his own. Piggy's appearance and manner of speaking marks him as a social outcast and the fact that he talks and acts like an adult only serves to alienate him even further from the other boys. Ralph is pretty tall and well built for his age, he apparently has an attractive appearance and he is a good swimmer. He is friendly, fair and shows some consideration for others. Ralph leads by example and tries to do so with the approval of the other boys. He seems to prefer to discus things and persuade the others rather than to simply order them to to do things, as Jack would do. Ralph seems to suffer from Petit Mal epilepsy which may be why he often loses track of what he is saying.

Answer 2

Piggy is portrayed as intellectual and sensible, often offering important ideas and advice. Ralph is depicted as a natural leader, with a strong sense of responsibility and fairness. Both characters show contrasting qualities that complement each other in their efforts to maintain order and sanity among the boys.