Symbolism In William Golding's The Lord Of The Flies

In William Golding’s classic novel, The Lord of the Flies, Golding demonstrates the dark reality sleeping underneath humanity’s supposedly civil nature. To accomplish this, he follows the struggles of a group of stranded boys, whose paranoid isolation on the island leads to their degradation as a civilization. As one of the castaways, Simon stands as an integral part of the tribe throughout the novel. While his peers turn to savagery, he finds himself changed in a different way--an outcast among his wild peers due to his role as a symbolic Christ-figure. In this way, Golding develops Simon’s character into a religious symbol to highlight the group’s fall from grace, as they turn against the only inherently good and moral character on the island.

After they arrive on the island, Ralph introduces Simon as a delicate boy from Jack Merridew’s choir. The name Simon is a reference to the apostles in the Bible, which makes it appear as if Simon was always meant to play the role of the Christ-figure. Yet he is not immediately distinguishable as such--like the rest of the boys, he begins merely as a simple child. Because of this, it is in the beginning of the novel that Simon acts most like the innocent, naive boy he is. He works hard to make life easier for others, yet simultaneously remains unremarkable until called upon. His dedication to this cause is similar to that of Christ Himself, who spent the first part of His life as a carpenter, helping others in whatever ways he could.