Simon's Savagery

The middle of the novel is also where Simon begins to develop into a mystic and Christ-figure because of this mental strength and spirituality. While his introspective nature only applies to his fascination for his surroundings at first, the presence of the beast sparks a startling revelation within him, as he grimly observes that it is “as if… this [is not] a good island” after all. Being one of the first bigguns to voice his belief in the littlun’s frightful stories, he gives credit to the possibility of the beast being real. Thoughtful and curious, Simon does not let his peers’ doubts cloud his vision as he entertains the thought that they are not truly alone on the island. He recognizes that they are being hunted, but he cannot understand

As Simon comes to embody the Christ-figure role, the other character’s slow descent into savagery calls for him to grow into a strong figurehead of understanding and enlightenment. Leading up to this point, Simon stands out as the only character to put the needy before himself, as the others believe in survival of the fittest. He even provides food for the hungry, such as Piggy and the neglected littluns. In a scene similar to Jesus’ feeding of the multitude, Simon picks the best fruit for the “endless, outstretched hands” (56) until they grow satisfied. This key moment directly mirrors Jesus’ desire to provide for the needy who follow him, an act which further proves to the people that Jesus is the Messiah as he feeds thousands with just a bit of bread. In this way, the event demonstrates Simon’s role as a Christ-figure to the readers, as he is humbly inspired by generosity to help the needy, and not a desire to merely prove himself to the tribe. Yet despite his constant willingness to help others due to his generosity, sympathetic, and kind-hearted nature, the tribe often turns on him as a scapegoat when they become overcome by their emotions. This leads to Simon being slowly outcasted by the group, as his observations on the nature of the beast confuse and frustrate them. As such, he finds himself laughed at and mocked to shame. Like Jesus, Simon finds himself being targeted by the group of disbelievers when they refuse to hear him out. Urged on by their fear of the unknown, they turn on him with little understanding of their own