Compassion In Lord Of The Flies

Truong Page 1 Lauryn Truong Mr. Poling English 5th Period 7 October 2015 Lord of the Flies Character Analysis: Simon In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Simon is empathetic; however, he struggles to communicate with the boys. One trait that Simon has is empathy, which is expressed through his actions. Golding develops Simon as a Christ-like figure, meaning he takes on characteristics that Christ had. Like Jesus, he is able to interpret what the group's problems are and what needs to be done to fix them.

Simon, the Disciple “He was a small, skinny boy, his chin pointed, and his eyes so bright they had deceived Ralph into thinking him delightfully gay and wicked” (Golding, 55). Simon, a character in the “Lord of the Flies” is a “skinny vivid little boy” yet the boy is strong and stands up for he what believes is right. (FIX SENT.) That is just one of the many qualities this boy has. Simon is a very wise and philosophical type of boy.

Through vivid imagery in chapter 9, Golding paints a scene that uses Simon's death to patently resemble the crucifixion of Christ. The boys on the island are now in dire need of a Christ like character to guide them. To be a “Christ figure” a character must attain and exemplify the traits and values possessed by the Biblical Christ. Although Simon portrays qualities that a Christ figure needs to succeed, he completely fails as evident in his brutal but ineffective crucifixion and his fruitless attempt at martyrdom.

Humans need connection with other humans. When people lose connection, they back away from everything. There are many ways for people to lose connection. People could be abused, bullied, lost and many more. If a person gets pushed away from human connection, they feel they don’t belong.

Although Simon does show traits of a Christ figure, he does not fully live up to the archetype of a Christ figure. To be a Christ figure is someone must show the traits of the Biblical Christ. In the Bible, Christ fed people who could not feed themselves, and Simon fed the littluns ripe fruit, so that they could eat without getting sick. Simon’s role as a failed Christ figure is shown in his violent and ineffective “crucifixion” and “resurrection”, and his failure at getting them to listen and be reassured by what he had to say. One of the reasons Simon is a failed Christ figure, is that he just died, unlike Christ, who died a martyr to save humanity, and was resurrected from the dead.

In the novel The Lord of the Flies by author William Golding, Simon represents morality, intrinsic benevolence, and religion. Simon is one of the oldest boys. He is small and skinny with a pointed chin and long black hair. He is “burned to a glistening tan” (56). Throughout the story Simon tries to help little ones with various tasks.

Have you ever heard of a microcosm? A microcosm is a word used to represent something on a much smaller scale. It is usually applied to human beings, who are considered to be “small-scale models” of the universe, with all their flaws and evildoings. The book Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is an example of a microcosm. All of the characters and events that happen in the story all have a meaning and purpose to them that display and show human natures naturally “savagery” and willingness to be sinful.

“There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life,no matter what location, age, gender or disability.”~ Sharron Angle As Simon once said in Simon Birch, I believe I have a destiny I know i wasn't born small without doing something great with my disability. He expressed that he knew he was meant to do something even if he didn't quite know what. In the Scarlet Ibis Doodle and his brother were determined to teach Doodle to walk, to fit in even though there was a great chance he couldn't, his big brother pushed him until he accomplished it.

After reading the novel The Lord of the Flies, I believe that I would be the most like the character Simon. Throughout the book, Simon is very caring for the other characters. Simon also seems to be the logical person of the group, besides Piggy. On the other hand, the character that I think that I would never be would be Roger. From the beginning Roger comes off as a fighter and not a lover.

What would life be without evil in the world? Many optimists believe there is an inherent goodness gifted to all people at birth and fundamentally embedded in us that dictates our actions, but the reality is exactly the contrary. People are evil, not because of a desire or choice but out of absolute necessity on account of none of the things we enjoy today would be available or even invented without some evil. Evil, within limitations and with restrictions, is productive for a group of people. Society, with all its art, culture, music, and glory, was created because there was evil present and now works to destroy its very creator through police departments and social initiatives.