"Ser Piggy"

Abstract

IntroductionGeorge R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire can safely claim to be one of most erudite fantasy series in English: its numerous references to world mythologies and historical figures and events continue to provoke wide-ranging debate amongst its readers. Literary inspirations are also present, and J. R. R. with his wide-ranging and epic vision of distant kingdoms and enchantment, is perhaps Martin's most obvious literary ancestor. As Martin's initials mirror Tolkien's, and a review by Lev Grossman in 2005 dubbed him the American Tolkien, some are tempted to draw comparisons between A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of Rings.In particular, links have been drawn between figures of Samwell Tarly and Gamgee: both have similar status as a hero's devoted and sometimes comic companion, and a similarity in naming is matched in titles bestowed upon them: Samwise Brave and Sam Slayer. With these parallels in place, people are generally content to see Tolkien's as literary root of Martin's Samwell. However, we would argue that a more fruitful comparison lies not with The Lord of Rings, but with William Golding's twentieth-century campus classic Lord of Flies.A cursory examination of A Game of Thrones, first book in Martin's series, shows a number of superficial links between Golding's novel and Martin's. The Lannister family seat, Casterley Rock, may owe a debt in naming to Golding's Castle Rock: both locations have associations of power wielded cruelly and unjustly. The theme of decapitation and display of severed head on a spike, so striking in Golding's novel (Pig's head on a stick; Roger sharpened a stick at both ends; 177, 234) is a leitmotif throughout A Game of Thrones, from deserter beheaded by Lord Eddard Stark near novel's opening to Stark's own later execution and subsequent display of his head on battlements. Golding's theme of pig hunt is given an ironic reversal when, during a hunt, King Robert Baratheon is apparently dealt a death wound by very wild boar he intended to kill. However, chief point of comparison (and one to which we will devote majority of this essay) is character of Samwell Tarly.Samwell Tarly has much in common with Golding's Piggy as an embodiment of archetypal kid, unsociable yet capable of intelligence; intertextual reference is made blatant with bullying taunts of Ser Piggy, Lady Piggy, my Lord of Ham (260, 261) and other such porcine insults in Samwell's first few scenes at the Wall. However, though Samwell's initial status as a despised outsider in his community bears a marked similarity to that of Golding's character, his eventual fate is polar opposite of Piggy's. Unlike Golding's boy, Martin's character Samwell is not rejected, not exploited, not murdered: instead, he is brought into fold, his voice is listened to, and he becomes a valued and trusted member of community.The transformation of archetypal boy from Golding's despised and scapegoated victim to Martin's stable and respected community member is subject of this close reading. By an examination of fat characters, their immediate allies and their location, it can be inferred that Martin is offering a demonstration, both practical and ethical, of circumstances required for a Piggy's survival. The first section of this article will examine differences in character between Golding's Piggy and Martin's Samwell.Piggy and SamwellGolding's Piggy is one of few fat characters in literature prescribed for young adults to go beyond presentation of fatness as negative moral lesson or terrible warning (of grotesque Augustus Gloop variety). He is a deftly observed, realistic small child, with all irritating obstinacy of young know-it-all. His vividly ungrammatical declarations, whining diction, and frustrated awkwardness all add up to a highly memorable character, and his pointless killing has a considerable impact on reader. …