Simon As A Christ Figure In Lord Of The Flies Essay

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.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a book about a group of boys stuck on a deserted island who try to organize their own society which results in a series of events and disasters. This book portrays many different personalities and characters that are important parts of the book. One of the protagonists, Simon, has a plethora of fine qualities such as kindness, intuition, thoughtfulness, and virtue. These qualities shape Simon into a Christ-like figure. Simon is shown to be an image of Christ through his tender-hearted nature, prophetic-like qualities, and understanding of the beast within the boys.

When Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric realized that the “beast” they have slaughtered was Simon, they break off from the group. The others do not understand the act they have just committed. As Ralph defines his morals with his group, she starts to comprehend the situation he is in. This act represents Ralph coming of age when he defines his morals. This is a common theme which runs through many stories.

Although the boys laugh at his suggestion, this proves Golding’s point that innate human evil and savagery exists. Simon is furthering his thinking and sees the Beast as a component of human nature instead of an external force, revealing the evil that is throbbing inside the boys. Similarly in Chapter 8, Simon has a vision in the glade and is faced with the Lord of the Flies. The Lord of the Flies says to Simon, ““There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me.

Stuck on an island with kids and an unknown “beast” what is it? The story of Lord of the Flies occurs during World War 2 on a deserted island after a plane filled with children crashed and where a new beast takes over . What is the beast? The beast in Lord of the Flies is constantly changing from fear to war then to savagery. So what is the meaning of the beast in the Lord of the Flies?

Civilization means to be a part of a culture, to have a leader who takes power, and to be apart of orderly society. In the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Simon is the most civilized boy on the island because he has the most positive outlook out of every boy on the island, he is insightful of what and where the beast is, and, he is the first to realize most of the problems that occur on the island.

In the book The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Simon would be the best leader. There aren’t an immense amount of qualities in Simon that some might see as leader material. He’s different compared to the others, though all the boys are unique in their own little way, he stands out the most. Maybe it’s because of his independent like personality or the fact that he is rational and uses logic before he lets his imagination get the best of him.

For word smart Simon always engaged in conversation, and he read the bible, and used references from the bible many times in the movie. For example while talking with the Reveron he brings up references from the bible to support his argument. Simon also showed people smart. Using the example from before, Simon knew how to help the little boy and get him to stop crying and become more confident. And last, Simon is also self smart, because he is self motivated.

For example, Simon is a character with many Christ figure qualities. Simon proves he is good with children when he assists the younger children by grabbing hard to reach fruit for them. Also, Simon is empathetic toward Ralph and reassures him that he will get off the island. Not only does Simon display Christ-like characteristics, but he also has many interactions that can be seen as biblical allusions. For example, Simon is tempted by the Lord of the Flies in the jungle, just like when Jesus was tempted by Satan when he goes into the desert for forty days.

“Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands.” (pg. 56)Simon continuously showed compassion and care for the other boys such as Piggy and the littluns. He assists Ralph in building the huts and watches the littluns when he no one else

Ralph is a source of leadership and authority to the castaway boys on the island. Ralph processes the Conch, the only physical manifestation of authority and society on the island, this symbol is identified and given it significance by Ralph. Ralph is a lasting source of authority, and therefore the former society in which the boys lived in. Ralph’s rationality and natural leadership skills allow him to recognize the need to create a stable and peaceful society on the island that is the exact opposite of the war surrounding the eden that they inhabit. Ralph’s leadership is one based on a positive view of humans as civilized, and founded in morality, which ultimately fail: Socio-political and religious readings of Lord of the Flies converge, not only in the figure of the beast, but also in the question of law: the children 's rules.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.” In a good book, one will connect with at least one fictional character. In the book The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, one will be able to relate to with several. A character that the reader will be able to connect with from the start is Simon. In the book Lord of the Flies, Simon takes on the role of an adult and keeps everything civil while he can. Simon is sophisticated in the book Lord of the Flies because he is calm, nice, and brave.

Simon later encounters the Lord of the Flies (a pig’s head on a stick that Jack left as a sacrifice for the beast) who “speaks” to Simon while he is having a brain clot. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that it is the beast, that it’s inside of everyone. “Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (Page 143) it tells him, reminding Simon that to defeat the “beast”, or evil, within a person is impossible to physically accomplish. It’s as if everyone has a ticking time bomb of malevolence that is kept in check by our moral values and societal standards.

At this time the boys did not know that it was Simon, they simply beat him because they were afraid and they assumed it was a monster. The godly figure that the boys fear in “The Lord of the Flies” is shadow on the mountain. The boys begin to fear the shadow. The boys begin to fear this shadow, and treat it almost as a God, they even begin to leave it offerings. In the chrysalids this figure is their God.

Whether it’s volunteering at a homeless shelter, picking up trash or donating to a good cause, these are all examples of altruistic deeds accomplished to better improve the quality of an individual’s life without any selfish grants or gains in return. The same respect goes to Simon, who in Lord of the Flies displays the most altruistic characteristics as he stays true from the beginning and end of the book. Simon, instead of spending his hours in nature like he wants to, remains by Ralph to build shelter, and even assisting in feeding the littluns, finding “fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest...passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands… The littluns watched him inscrutably over double handfuls of ripe fruit”(56). In addition, when Jack gets his first kill Simon gives away his food when Piggy is excluded. Given the points here, Simon is a character in Lord of the Flies that plays an important, yet quiet role.