1. In terms of their physical appearances, Piggy is, broadly speaking, unattractive, whereas Ralph is considered attractive. Piggy, for example, is repeatedly referred to as the "fat boy," and his name itself also alludes to his size. Ralph, on the other hand, is said to have the physique of "a boxer" and "a mildness about his mouth that proclaimed no devil."
2. Ralph is athletic, whereas Piggy is not. Piggy struggles to run because of his asthma and because of his poor eyesight. Indeed, as he tells Ralph, his "auntie (has) told (him) not to run." Ralph, on the other hand, is very athletic. Piggy, watching Ralph swim, compliments Ralph, telling him, "You can't half swim."
3. Ralph is also, for the most part, very self-assured, whereas Piggy is awkward and self-conscious. For example, in Chapter 1, Ralph confidently strips naked to enjoy the sunshine, while Piggy is much more hesitant about taking off his windbreaker. Piggy is also self-conscious about his nickname and "clasp(s) his hands in apprehension" when he reveals it to Ralph and Ralph laughs.
4.Ralph is a natural leader, whereas Piggy seems more comfortable being a follower. The other boys (all except those in Jack's choir) quickly elect Ralph as their leader, and Piggy attributes this in part to "a stillness about Ralph that marked him out." Piggy, however, is content to help. In Chapter 8, for example, having fetched some wood for the group, Piggy is described as "so full of pride in his contribution to the good of society."
5. Piggy is more intelligent than Ralph. In Chapter 5, Ralph is described as "lost . . . in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them." In other words, Ralph lacks the capacity with language to articulate his own thoughts. However, Piggy is probably the most articulate of the boys. He is also perceptive. In chapter 5, Piggy asks, "What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?" Here, Piggy shows how perceptive he is by identifying the savagery that is taking over the boys.
Five differences between Ralph and Piggy are:
1. Ralph is slim while Piggy is fat.
2. Ralph is athletic while Piggy is asthmatic and cannot even swim.
3. Ralph is confident while Piggy is awkward.
4. Ralph is a born leader while Piggy is clever.
5. Ralph is respected by the boys while Piggy is made fun of.
In chapter 1 "The Sound of the Shell", the characters are introduced. We are told in the first line of the novel that Ralph is "the boy with fair hair". The words "the fair boy" are repeated several times in the next few pages to differentiate him from Piggy, who is referred to as "the fat boy" repeatedly. It is also revealed that Ralph is athletic, which is the opposite of Piggy who is out of shape and overweight.
He was old enough, twelve years and a few months, to have lost the prominent tummy of childhood and not yet old enough for adolescence to have made him awkward. You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil.
It is also revealed that Piggy, who has vision problems and wears glasses, can't swim. He tells Ralph, "I can't swim. I wasn't allowed. My asthma--". In addition to being out of shape, Piggy has trouble breathing.
Ralph is also confident and capable of leading, whereas Piggy, who is awkward, is not. Piggy makes up for his lack of leadership skills by being clever. For example, Piggy comes up with the idea of using a conch shell to call out to other survivors.
"Ralph!" Ralph looked up. "We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us--" He beamed at Ralph. "That was what you meant, didn't you? That's why you got the conch out of the water?"
All of these differences are established in the first chapter of the book. Though these two characters are very opposite, they are the most logical and clear-headed of the older boys on the island.
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