ipl-logo

Simon Crucifixion In Lord Of The Flies

707 Words3 Pages

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.
Simon is arguable the most courageous and selfless character that we have seen so far, and in chapter 9 he once again shows that he cares greatly for the overall well being of the boys. Alone, Simon makes the daunting journey to …show more content…

The brutal termination of Simon draws many similarities to the crucifixion of Christ. As Simon returns to tell the boys the good news of this mythical beast being just that of a myth, he is mistaken for the beast itself and horrifically killed. Simon has failed in bringing peace to the boys. Simon's death or “crucifixion” is not successful like that of Christs, and proves to be ineffective. The crucifixion of Christ lead to a whole religion being born, whereas the death of Simon leads to nothing but his body being taken away to rot at sea. Simon died for nothing, the boys chances of survival were not helped in any way, demonstrating why he has failed as a Christ …show more content…

The ineffective crucifixion and attempt at martyrdom are evidence of his great failure. Simon's act of cutting the parachutist free leads to the corpse resembling the beast in flight. The body then travels deep into the ocean while simultaneously driving the idea of the “beast” deeper into the mind of the boys. Simon also brings out the most primitive side of the boys while they commit murder for the first time. The boys will kill a human on the island again, and will continue to show how Simon was unsuccessful at being a Christ figure on the

Show More
Related

  • Dialectical Journal For Lord Of The Flies Chapter 1 Essay

    598 Words  | 3 Pages

    Passage 1: “Where’s the man with the megaphone?” The fair boy shook his head. “This is an island. At least I think it’s an island.

    Read More

  • How Does Golding Use Ethos In Chapter 9 Of Lord Of The Flies

    962 Words  | 4 Pages

    Simon was always an outsider and their is lots of evidence that hints Simon is a Christ like figure. He helped those in need, and was killed by his own community. He even grew his hair out longer than the other boys. The author writes, “Here the littluns who had run after him caught up with him… 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).

    Read More

  • Kohlberg's Moral Development In Lord Of The Flies

    255 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maybe it’s only us.” (89) Simon intellectually realizes that the beast lies in every single person and that they all have the capacity for evil doings as well as good. This type of thinking is more abstract than what is exhibited in past levels. For example if Simon’s moral development

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On Lord Of The Flies

    486 Words  | 2 Pages

    Once they kill Simon it explains deeply about how they kill him and how cruel and brutal it was. They kill him by biting and clawing and acting like savages. Simon says that it's themselves that is the beast and it shows in the part of the story how they act savage and

    Read More

  • Simon's Savagery

    1687 Words  | 7 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Simon Birch Character Analysis

    1057 Words  | 5 Pages

    When the bus crashed and went into the lake, Simon knew that this was his time, and all along it was God’s plan. He saved all the kids and sacrificed himself for a another child to be removed from the bus. Sadly he floated to the top of the lake and died later in the movie, in the hospital. Simon died in good spirits knowing this was God calling him up to the

    Read More

  • Ignorance In Lord Of The Flies Literary Analysis

    772 Words  | 4 Pages

    Finally, Simon 's hallucination represents the realization he had of the evil within the

    Read More

  • Essay On Simon Lord Of The Flies

    585 Words  | 3 Pages

    Simon also tried to keep the peace between all of the boys by assuring them that everything is ok, and that there is nothing to be afraid of. “I just think you’ll get back all right.” (111). Simon was vigilant, and calming to the others. This shows true leadership, and that civilization is still present so long as he’s around.

    Read More

  • Conch Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1119 Words  | 5 Pages

    We was scared!” (156) Simon knew the truth about the beast, he had the potential to rescue the boys from themselves yet they escalated the situation and killed him for trying to spread the good news. The death of Simon was a real turning point in the novel. When the once pure, almost Godly boy is furiously executed is when the decline of the conch truly

    Read More

  • The Dead Parachutist In Lord Of The Flies Analysis

    827 Words  | 4 Pages

    Simon, a boy who portrays Jesus, in attempts to tell the other boys about the real “beast” and what the “creature” truly is, he pays with his life, just like the son of God, when he would bring God’s word to the people and endures punishment for it. Simon releases the poor man whose pulse has stopped beating its rhythmic tune, allowing him to be swallowed up in the ocean, forgotten in the deep blue waves, and forgotten when the only one carrying knowledge of the truth dies; this shows freedom from the fight, when the wind carries the body to the sea for the water to embrace him, like a baby in a mother’s womb. Another theme that the parachutist indicates is the lack of communication to the real world, the man is dead, along with any form of communication, then when he drifts off many of the boys start losing hope and omitting the fact that the fire is their form of communication, a signal to the world that they are there, stuck on an island away from the rules of society and waiting for someone to rescue them. Furthermore, the lifeless body of the man is not a simple message, rather a task to remember, to remember that they are not savages, but young British

    Read More

  • Corruption In Lord Of The Flies Power Essay

    880 Words  | 4 Pages

    Corruption’s Rise to Power Combined Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler killed 54 million people. This begs the question, why do people who are clearly corrupted and even murderous followed by many? William Golding in his novel The Lord of the Flies attempts to answer that question through his portrayal of the character, Jack. In the novel, a group of boys get stranded on an island and attempt to create a proper government.

    Read More

  • Simon A Christ Figure Analysis

    518 Words  | 3 Pages

    Golding wrote his death in this way purposely, so that Simon would look as if he was being resurrected, but in reality he is just drifting out to sea, and his body will decompose and fish will eat him, along with the Angelic looking creatures on him pulling him to sea. His message did not endure, as the boys just killed him and ran away, none of them hearing that he freed the island from the corruption of the dead man. Simon’s role as a failed Christ figure was shown by his crucifixion, “resurrection”, and his failure to get the boys to listen to his message of freeing them from corruption. His violent death did not make him a martyr as Christ was, he would only to be thought of as a batty boy who died on the island.

    Read More

  • Simon As A Christ Figure Analysis

    200 Words  | 1 Pages

    He's also sweating, having a seizure, and bleeding profusely from his nose. So, if Simon's "night before" matches up with Jesus's "night before," then Simon dies for the sins of the boys and are somehow saved by his death? It's hard to say. But it

    Read More

  • Theme Of Fear In Lord Of The Flies

    733 Words  | 3 Pages

    The collective fear of the unknown leads to the untimely and accidental death of Simon. The distress present in the boys causes their impulsive action, of Simon’s horrific murder. Fear of “the beast” an imaginary creature causes the boys to act irrational, and provokes survival instincts as a result of life threatening terror. The fear of the boys in this moment is epitomized when they chant, “Kill the beast!, Cut his throat, Spill his blood!” (168).

    Read More

  • How Is Simon A Christ Like Figure In Lord Of The Flies

    1064 Words  | 5 Pages

    Simon says “I think we ought to climb to the mountain.” (128) Simon goes to a clearing in the forest where he can meditate upon the sights and sounds. Simon is too taunted by the “Lord of the Flies” which translates into Beelzebub in Hebrew, a demon in Hell, still confronts the evil. Lastly, Christ and Simon are persecuted for their ideals, similar to Jesus spreading his faith.

    Read More

More about Simon Crucifixion In Lord Of The Flies

Open Document