Simon Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis

The boys find themselves on a pristine and untouched island, similar to the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis. Goldings description of the island resembles how the Garden of Eden is described in the bible by its scenery and abundance of fruit. Names are also important in the book of Genesis, in a similar way the boys all give their names soon after the crash. The boys then form a society on the island, just as human nature was created from the Garden of Eden. At the beginning, the removal of Ralphs clothes along with the other boys to bathe can represent the nakedness of Adam and Eve. This can also be associated with Baptism in the Catholic faith. Simon is the only boy with a passive outlook towards all the negative behavior of the island.

“The figure of Christ is commonly conflated with that of any especially spiritual character-anyone who evidences saintliness, selflessness, and undiscriminating love for his fellow creatures” (Krugar). Deciding to help out by grabbing the fruit out of reach, Simon helps feed the younger boys out of the kindness of his heart. Just as Simon Peter is told by Jesus to feed his lambs. This image of Simon and Simon Peter nourishing others without any reward, is a clear allusion to how one of Christs apostles would act. Another example is when Simon is introduced as “the choirboy who had fainted” (Golding 23). This closely resembles when Simon Peter is scolded by Christ as he asks him “Simon are you asleep… the indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14.37). The fact that Simon is a choir boy, gives him sort of secondary status, makes his resemblance more like an apostle in the presence of Christ. This biggest misunderstanding of Simon's character comes from his death. The murder does resemble the Crucifixion of Christ, but only partially. “In fact, most of the apostles and many ordinary Christians of that period died on crosses...all of them murdered by mobs” (Krugar). When Simon died, he cried out about the dead man on the hill. Crying out is the Christian message of sacrifice and redemption. Just as Simon Peter the apostle would have in his death. Even if Simon runs short of Christs perfection, he still sustains a higher human goodness and spirit, especially compared to the other