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.
When the Lord of the Flies said to Simon, “fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill!” (Golding. pg.158), it showed that even if Simon did not know it, he subconsciously understood that the beast was not real, but something within all of them. This also shows that no matter how hard the boys try to stay good, the evil within them is something they cannot get rid of. Additionally, the end of the conversation Simon had with the Lord of the Flies also represents evil. At the end of the conversation, when Simon, “fell down and lost consciousness,” (Golding. Pg. 158), helps the readers know that the conversation is not real. Simon fainting after the conversation also showed that instead of talking to the Lord of the Flies, or the beast, he was thinking to himself about the evil on the island and realized it was within the boys. Similarly, this also shows the fact that he subconsciously knew of the evil within the boys. Finally, Simon 's hallucination represents the realization he had of the evil within the
Humans are though to be the most developed living species on the planet Earth. However, throughout life, one can also see humans can be so evil and illogical during moments of desperation that the ability of reason is cannot be found. In the book Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Golding depicts many examples of human nature with the use of characters he placed in the story. One of these characters is a boy named Simon. Golding uses Simon to describe compassion, wisdom and insight, and a Christ-like figure.
Simon was the first to realize there was no actual beast on the island, and that it was only a dead man with a parachute. He believed there was no such thing as a beast on the island, and he helped the littluns believe it too by saying: "What I mean is... Maybe it 's only us." (89). Simon was trying to suggest the idea that the beast was only an illusion to the boys’, as it had been created only within their imaginations. This shows that the boys are only afraid of themselves, because they are their own worst enemy. He is the first to figure out that the beast is not an actual beast, and how it is only the boys becoming savage, and starting to be afraid of one another. As Simon began to explain this to the doubtful boys, he was the only one who died knowing the
Simon becomes aware of his internal cruelty when it manifests itself in hallucinatory forms as “The Lord of the Flies”. Simon at first lacks the understanding and cannot comprehend what is happening until the hallucination says “‘Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head. For a moment or two the forest and other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. ‘You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you?’” (Golding 143). The manifestation of Simon’s inescapable evil directly speaks to him, and the two converse to a degree. Considering the pig’s head is speaking to him in his mind; the recognition of inner malice is truly profound. Simon’s consideration of walking away from the head is halted when the head exclaims “‘This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there—so don’t try to escape!’” (Golding 143), he understands that there is no way he can avoid his vices. Simon’s direct discussion with his evil correlates to the identical evil found in all of the
Christ is a perfect figure of light and goodness. He showed the world what love could do during his ministry on earth. Simon’s characteristics make him an analogy to Christ. His love, compassion, and service to others portray him as a Christ figure in Lord of the Flies, as well as his similarities in his experiences.
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?
In the book, Lord of the Flies by WIlliam Golding, a group of young boys are stranded on an island all alone, which turns to have a horrible outcome- murder and savagery. Golding uses a variety of symbols to paint the picture of little boys turning savage, one symbol being ¨the beast¨. Throughout the use of the beast as a symbol of fear, as seen when the boy´s find a dead parachuter and confuse it with the beast, Golding suggests that every human has a beast in them, and humans are the only thing that should be feared.
Maturity is subjective. Maturity has no definition, since everyone views maturity in different ways. Some view maturity as putting other's dire needs before one’s minor needs. Some say maturity is a coming of age, where one finds one’s morals, or what one believe to be right and wrong. One of the most common definitions for maturity is the ability to adapt to the environment one is given. Sometimes, immaturity can be evident in adults. So, what is the thread which ties all of these ideas together?
The beast is first introduced to the boys early on in their time on the island when the crash acts as a scar to the boys and there is still a state of innocence in everyone. Piggy illustrates the boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark fears to the others (as he is too shy to speak on his own) his discovery of something else existing on the island to the entire assembly, “Tell us about the snake-thing...Now he says it was a beastie...Beastie?...A snake-thing. Ever so big. He saw it ... In the woods … He says the beastie came in the dark ... He still says he saw the beastie. It came to him and went away again an’ came back and wanted to eat him-- ...He must have had a nightmare” (35-36). Considering how innocent and civilized the boys are at
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
How to Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster is a guide to the aspiring advanced literature reader on how to analyze and understand works of literature through the eyes of an individual trained in the specialty. It aims to provide different techniques of delving in to literature in attempt to find deeper meaning within the book. After reading this book, the reader should be able to read a novel and find topics discussed in the book, and then using their knowledge find hidden meanings that add to the underlying theme of the book. In the context of the Lord of the Flies, there are many instances where the ideas discussed in Foster’s book can be found in the novel. The weather, baptism and a Christ Figure are all themes described
Beast, devil, evil, corruption, the seven deadly sins, they all represent some form of evil within humankind. Lord of the Flies is the story of schoolboys that have crash landed on an unoccupied island, and go through many hardships as they fight for power and try to be saved. Throughout the story, however, they boys go from having a civilized structure to utter chaos, they struggle for their lives and grasp for survival from a darker creature on the island. Within chapter nine, Simon discovers the beast for what it really is; meanwhile Ralph and Piggy decide to join the other bigguns for a feast with Jack’s tribe. The boys play and dine, and circle together for a “dance” when Simon stumbles out of the forest to tell them of his discovery, and lands in the circle, which results in him being brutally beat to death. This attack on Simon demonstrates how the fear of the beast that the boys are experiencing is affecting their better judgment, and pushes their morals to the side, just so that they can feel safe. In chapter 9 of Lord of the Flies, William Golding employs repetition, animal imagery, and natural imagery to convey the theme that fear can corrupt humans, which pushes them to engage in unspeakable acts.
The first time Simon mentions this concept is at an assembly. He began by saying, “maybe it’s only us,” but struggled to express his ideas on, “mankind’s essential illness,” (Doc F). The next time the boys’ inner evil is brought up is during Simon’s hallucinatory conversation with the pig’s head, when Simon discovers the “beast” is only a dead parachutist. He then, “sets off, weak and staggering, to tell the other boys that the beast is human,” (Doc E). There is a duel meaning behind Simon’s statement. The “beast” not only has a physical form of a human, it also represents the savagery of human nature that is displayed through the boys. Throughout the novel, the boys slowly lose their sense and morph into horrendous and violent monsters. The most prominent example of this savagery is during Simon’s murder. A very “beast”-like and aggressive vocabulary is used during this scene to describe the boys attack on Simon, including, “leapt… screamed, struck, bit, tore… and the tearing of teeth and claws,” (Doc F). While these words are expected to be used to describe a monster, they describe the boys instead. This encounter with the “beast” was not a fight against a physical being, it was a manifestation of the boys’ savagery. As time passes and tension amongst the boys rises, the inner evil and savagery becomes more evident through the murders of Simon and Piggy. The true “beast”
Throughout the novel of Lord of the Flies, William Golding provides a profound insight into human nature. Golding builds on a message that all human beings have natural evil inside them. To emphasize, the innate evil is revealed when there’s lack of civilization. The boys are constantly faced with numerous fears and eventually break up into two different groups. Although the boys believe the beast lives in the jungle, Golding makes it clear that it lurks in their hearts. The message of inner evil is portrayed throughout the book by the destruction of the conch, terrifying beast, and character developments to establish the hidden message throughout the novel.