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Scrutinizing Simon In William Golding's Lord Of The Flies

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Scrutinizing Simon: An Analysis of William Golding’s Simon
Simon is quite possibly the most intelligent character in the novel Lord of the Flies. His intelligence however, is not in scientific knowledge, but in an uncharacteristic sense of insight and advancement. Throughout the novel, the majority of the characters descend into savagery; forgetting civilized life and degressing into violence. While the rest of the characters represent the primal parts of humanity through their struggles and changes, Simon is the adult voice reminding readers of rational truth. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Simon displays traits of maturity, insightfulness, and acceptance, demonstrating that he is different from the other boys on multiple levels. …show more content…

Though he never states it, Simon likes all the boys, even Jack. While entering a seizure, Simon appears to have a conversation with “The Lord of the Flies”; a sow’s head on a stick. The lord of the flies taunts him saying “They think you’re batty. You don’t want Ralph to think you’re batty, do you? You like Ralph a lot, don’t you? And Piggy, and Jack?”(Golding 143). Simon does not seem to judge the other boys the way they judge each other; Ralph and Jack hating each other, Piggy fearing Jack. and the boys making fun of Simon for being different. He likes them all and wants to be accepted by all of them. One afternoon, Simon tells Ralph that he will get back home. Ralph responds by calling Simon crazy, but “Simon shook his head violently till the coarse black hair flew backwards and forwards across his face. ‘No, I’m not. I just think you’ll get back all right.’”(Golding 111). Simon defends himself when Ralph calls him batty, not wanting Ralph to dislike him. Unlike Piggy however, Simon’s want for acceptance is not his driving factor, but rather a distant longing. He knows that being accepted by the others is not an important factor in his life. Simon just wants others to see him the way he sees them; accepting the good and the

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