Novakovic 1
John Novakovic
Mr. Roberts
ENG3U1
11 April 2016
Simon: A Christ Figure
In literature that tends to be considered as allegorical, parallels can sometimes be drawn between certain characters and Jesus Christ. As a symbol, Christ represents innate goodness, selflessness, salvation and sacrifice. His teachings promoted good in mankind and society in general. The concept of instinctive human evil is central to William Goldings’s Lord of the Flies. Golding implies that the instinct of savagery and barbarism is far more fundamental to human kind than the instincts of goodness, selflessness and sacrifice. Without rules imposed by civilization, Golding suggests that people naturally revert to cruelty and destruction. Against this
…show more content…
concept of evil, Simon exemplifies a conflicting idea of basic human goodness. Simon’s innate spiritual goodness and his desire to save others from self-destruction clearly echo Christian themes. To start, without the restrictions of rules and regulations, most of the boys on the island quickly abandon moral behavior, whereas Simon embodies inherent spiritual goodness and selflessness. Free from the rules that adult society has imposed on them, the boys on the island grapple with the opposing human instincts to behave civilly towards one another and the instinct to descend into selfish, violent behaviour. They are not inherently moral; instead the adult world, with its threats of punishment for Novakovic 2 deviant behaviour, has conditioned them to act civilly.
Even Ralph and Piggy, who appear civilized, abandon moral behaviour when they participate in the hunt dance. Simon, on the other hand, seems to stand on an entirely different plane to the other boys. Unlike them, he behaves morally not out of guilt or fear but because he possesses innate human goodness. Rather than reverting to primitive savagery, Simon demonstrates compassion towards the outcasts and the vulnerable members of the group. He recovers Piggy`s glasses when they are knocked off his face and gives him a share of his meat. Likewise, he also helps the littluns gather fruit at the end of chapter 3: “Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, 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. When he had satisfied them he paused and looked around. The littluns watched him inscrutably over double handfuls of ripe fruit” (57). In this way, Simon`s selfless and empathetic actions serve as a contrast to the increasingly cruel and barbaric behaviour exhibited be the rest of the group.
In addition to his basic morality, Simon mimics Jesus Christ`s desire for the salvation of others. During the course of the novel Simon is the only one of the group who begins to understand the true nature of the beast. That is, that the monster on the island is not a physical presence but instead a savagery that
…show more content…
exists within each boy. In chapter 5, Simon suggests: “What I mean is… maybe it’s only us”. Simon prophecy solidifies following his vision of the Lord of the Flies: “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt Novakovic 3 and kill! . . . You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are?” (158). Simon tries to warn the others that their fear threatens their sanity and ultimate survival. Simon later discovers that the beast which the boys fear so much is actually a dead parachutist, who presents no actual threat to them, and sets out to reassure them of this. However, Simon sacrifices his life trying to spread the truth he has discovered to the boys, when the other boys kill him as a consequence of having discovered this truth. In this way, Simon`s desire to save the boys from themselves echoes Jesus` attempts to provide salvation for mankind. However, unlike Jesus, Simon dies before he is able to share his truth with others. In conclusion, Golding`s character of Simon embodies the Christ-like qualities of goodness, selflessness, salvation and sacrifice.
In the Lord of the Flies, Simon protects and cares for not only the more vulnerable members of the group but also attempts to provide salvation for the group as a whole, ultimately sacrificing his own life. In this way, the character of Simon enhances and provides a contrast to its moral theme, the idea of the inherent evil existing within each human being in the absence of civilised order.
Novakovic 4
Works Cited
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber, 1999. Print.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Simon in Lord of the Flies." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
"A Christ Figure: An In-Depth Analysis into Lord of the Flies." A Christ Figure: An In-Depth Analysis into Lord of the Flies. Web. 11 Apr. 2016
"In "Lord of the Flies", How Can You See Simon as a Jesus Christ Figure? | ENotes." Enotes.com. Enotes.com. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
"MegaEssays.com." Simon Relationship with Christ in Lord of the Flies Essays. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
"The Christ-like Parallels of Simon in Lord of the Flies." Prezi.com. Web. 11 Apr.
2016.
The Lord of the Flies was written by William Golding. Simon is one of the major characters in this novel. Simon’s character lives by what is morally right as opposed to the rest of the island. Simon represents essential human goodness. There are many biblical parallels in the Lord of the Flies that result in Simon being compared to Christ.
In the book Lord of the Flies the charecter, Simon, is portrayed as a Christ-figure. He is shown to have all the qualities Christ has: intelligence, determination, and resiliance. Simon also is portrayed like Christ physically, he is skinny and not a strong person. Simon was very calm, kind, and he enjoyed being alone when ever he could.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the concept of good fighting evil is clearly shown to be a big picture. In many cases, Jesus Christ represents good and bliss in the universe, while the devil represents evil. In this novel the reader sees the when good fights evil, the evil is a good turned evil. For example, before the devil became evil, he was an angel. He was good turned evil and is now fighting good. Simon represents the good and bliss, he is the Christ figure on the island while evil and savagery is shown in the other boys on the island. Both Simon and Christ share common qualities, actions, and deaths. Simon shows this throughout the novel, from the beginning until the time of his death.
Koopmans, Andy. "The Characters." Understanding Lord of the Flies. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2003. 63-64. Print.
Imagine a life that is detached from civilization and free from any socially imposed morals. In the story Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of young boys is faced with this situation, and there is a perpetual conflict between the boys who are trying to maintain order and those whose violent instincts take over. Despite Ralph’s efforts to maintain order on the island and get the boys rescued, the boys, including Ralph himself, resort to violent and primitive behavior, and this is what causes Simon’s death. Whereas the other boys on the island lose their moral principles once savagery takes over, Simon retains his morals and does nice things such as helping the younger boys find food. In Lord of the Flies, Simon represents the speck of intrinsic morality and perceptive reasoning on the island, and unlike the other boys, he demonstrates morality as a way of life rather than a socially-imposed concept that is to be quickly lost in the wake of uncertainty.
Simon, the wisest, calmest, and maturest of all the boys, is off by himself “talking” to a pig, perhaps going crazy. All others are sitting around the fire relaxing, ignoring the fact that one of the the wisest men of all has himself begun to lose sanity, possibly symbolic of the condition of people on the island. Of course, readers know, by the description of the bulging clouds, that the sky will soon break and, symbolically, something terrible within the plot will soon happen. Indeed, the entire novel has built to this point, as readers have observed the downward spiral of morality amidst the moral characters and increased savagery. Simon has observed this, and perhaps because he tends to take in everything inwardly, his depression over the gradual decline in the children on the island has caused him to become somewhat senile. Simon continues his “conversation” with the pig whom he calls “the lord of the flies” (“Beelzebub” in Hebrew, meaning “the devil”), and it is as if he is being tempted by the devil, or corrupt immorality that has taken over the other children on the island. However, he is able to be triumphant over the temptations, and staggers back down to the island to inform the other children that the beast on the island is
A Christ-like figure is when an author develops allusions between their characters in their story to Jesus Christ. In Lord of The Flies the author William Golding describes parallels Simon to Jesus. Simon is one of the major characters in Lord of The Flies and he is given characteristics and a physical appearance that relates to Jesus Christ. Simon also has a similar personality and helps the weaker one in the group. Simon also experiences the devil in his journeys when he wandered in the jungle. Simon is the only “natural good” character in the story and possess many Christ-like characteristics.
Simon was the observant character, the quiet philosopher. He was often alone, sometimes by his own choice, and he liked to wander into the peaceful jungle. He sincerely cared about the other boys, sometimes helping the young ones to fetch fruit, yet "Simon turned away from them and went where the just perceptible path led him. Soon high jungle closed in" (56). He loved solitude and yet felt loneliness; he was alien to the other boys. The boys did not think anyone would be stupid enough to go into the jungle by night: "The assembly grinned at the thought of going out into the darkness. Then Simon stood up and Ralph looked at him in astonishment" (85). Many of the boys even thought he was "batty" because he left the group to spend time alone.
Golding makes very good use of characters in Lord of the Flies, he shows both good and evil through each of the characters. One of the characters that represents goodness is Simon. He is very good and pure, and has the most positive outlook. Simon is very different from the other boys, he seems to always be helping the Littluns and many other vulnerable boys such as Piggy. "Simon sitting between the twins and Piggy, wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it." (Golding, pg.74) This quote interprets an example of a time when Simon helped Piggy by giving him food, it shows Simon's wholeheartedness. Another example would be when Simon helps the Littluns pick fruit from high to reach places. All in all Golding tries to portray Simon as a Christ like figure.
In the end, even though he failed to inform the other boys of it, Simon through his use of spiritual power was able to recognize the truth. He stood strong against evil even though it consumed the island after his death. People can look to him as an example of how to act in real life. And to be honest, Simon is an important character to Lord of the Flies by William Golding, not just for all this, but because he is what every person should wish to be. In the book the others bully him because they do not quite understand him, but Simon in all reality is a role model for the world. Don’t you think that the world would be a much better place, if we all tried to act a little bit like Simon?
In many classic novels, authors use biblical allusions to highlight a certain character or situation. By using biblical allusions, authors can help the reader better understand what it is that they want to convey through their literary work. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Golding utilizes symbolism of places and characters to allude to the Bible. Out of the many references, four significant biblical allusions – title of the novel, Simon, beast, and the island itself – emphasize Golding’s theme inherent sin and evil in mankind.
The character of Simon in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies has often been viewed as the Christ figure of the novel. If you were to examine the actions of both Simon and Jesus, you would find a number of incidents that parallel each other.
Simon is the morally good boy. His selflessness and goodness comes from within. He is kind to the little boys, and helps the outcasts. For example, when none of the boys want to give Piggy meat from the first pig, Simon steps up and takes him meat. "Simon…wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy…"(p.74) While everyone else is cruel to the young ones, he helps the "lil'uns" grab meat from the trees when they can't reach. "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest…passed them back to the endless, outstretched hands." (p.56) Simon helps those whom no one else is kind to, perhaps remembering that he was looked down upon once. He realizes what it's like to be scorned and to be the "little one", so he tries to make it less miserable for the outcasts by being kind to them. He wants to always help others, so when he discovers the beast is inside of everyone, not external, as they had imagined, he instantly runs down the mountain to tell him. He helps others even to the point of death.
... possess innocence and heinous, but also children that no one ever thought had the potential of becoming savages themselves. An author once said," Human life is fiction's only theme," and Golding portrays this in Lord of the Flies .Golding creatively uses symbols like Jack, Simon, and conflicts to give a full understanding of good versus evil.
Throughout William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, many of the characters go through changes in their personality traits. From beginning to end, Simon goes through the smallest amount of change than anyone in the novel. Despite the fact that Simon did not really fit in with the other boys, he tried his hardest to make a difference in his and the other's lives.