Would pigs be a great example of symbolism in Lord of the Flies?

Pigs do come into play in the symbolism of Golding's novel Lord of the Flies; however, they are not a straightforward symbol in that they are used to represent a variety of different ideas. The sow and her nursing piglets represent the innocence of nature; hunting pigs represents the baser human desires; and the "pig's head on a stick" represents the depravity of the human heart. In chapter 8, Jack leads the boys on a pig hunt, and they find several pigs contentedly sleeping in the shadows. Among them is a sow nursing a row of piglets, "sunk deep in maternal bliss." The boys wound her and chase her, trailing her blood, until she comes out into "an open space where bright flowers grew and butterflies danced round each other." As the boys fall upon her, "this dreadful eruption from an unknown world made her frantic." She is brutally killed as the butterflies continue to dance. Golding's description of the blissful pig, tormented and killed by an invading species, speaks of the peaceful innocence of nature on the island apart from the corruption that man brings. 

The novel uses hunting extensively as a symbol of baser human instincts and desires. In the passage where the boys kill the sow, Golding describes how the boys were "wedded to her in lust," and after they kill her, they were "heavy and fulfilled upon her." The desire for hunting and meat causes the boys to leave the signal fire unattended just as a ship passes the island. Jack is able to lure the boys over to his tribe by the enticement of meat, even though most of the boys prefer Ralph as chief when they are thinking about rescue. 

When the boys have killed and gutted the sow, Jack mounts its head on a stick and leaves it as a gift for the beast. Simon, concealed in the thicket, ends up having a vision where he converses with the head. Golding calls the head the Lord of the Flies, and it identifies itself to Simon as the Beast. During the conversation Simon's previous understanding that the beast is "mankind's essential illness" is confirmed when the pig's head says, "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?" In this way Golding presents his message that the downfall of the boys' society stems from the depravity in their hearts.

Pigs play a key role in the symbolism of Lord of the Flies and are used at various points to symbolize the innocence of nature, the baser human desires, and human depravity.