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Symbolism used in Lord of the Flies
Examine the symbolism of the Lord of the Flies
Characterisation of lord of the flies
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In the novel Lord of the Flies a large group of civilized boys become lost on an island and society slowly starts to fall to pieces the longer they are there. From all of the civilized boys on the island the one with the most potential of becoming an outstanding leader is Simon. Simon is one character who is extremely different from the rest, showing his insight on many things, as well as his wisdom throughout the book. Simon is by far the most symbolic character in the novel Lord of the Flies.
Simon has this amazing insight throughout the entire novel. Simon portrays this unique way of looking past the obvious and being able to see the truth. You first notice Simon’s insight when Simon is the first to realize that the real beast is not external,
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and that the beast is not an animal on the mountain. During the assemblies when the boys discuss the possibility of something being a “bestie” or if the beast is a dream, Simon speaks up and says “Maybe there is a beast. Maybe it’s only us” (Golding, 80). Simon realizes that the beast is the instinct of savagery that seems to live within each of the boys stranded on the island. Simon however does not just have an insight on the beast. Simon has an insight on nature, and weirdly enough on darkness as well. “Simone lowered his head, carefully keeping his eyes shut, then sheltered them with his hand, there were no shadow’s under the trees but everywhere a pearly stillness, so hast what was real seemed illusive and without definition” (Golding, 138). Simon keeps his eyes closed and it even says, “Then sheeted them with his hands”, when Simons eyes are closed it’s as if he is in a dream. Within that dream reality can be anything there is no definition to reality itself. What was real seemed to be untouched and without definition, it’s almost like a picture in the way that in the moment everything was perfect. Simon sees the world without a label or definition that society gives the world for everything in it, Simon is very wise about his insight on things as his brains can process things differently. Simon is wise about who he is and the role that he plays.
Simon knows himself very well. Simon has strong moral standings for himself. Simon is the only lost boy on the island who didn’t believe in the beast. However Simon does seem to have conversations with the beast. Through Simon’s conversations with the “beast” his morals become more and more clear. The lord of the flies’ tries to tempt Simon by telling him that he should behave like the other boys. The lord of the flies says, “You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else….” (Goldman, 130). The lord of the flies also tries to convince Simon that the “beastie” is real because he is the “beastie”. Although however Simon is extremely wise and doesn’t listen to the lord of the flies because he knows his moral values and what the “beastie” is saying contradicts Simon’s beliefs. “Pigs head on a stick.” (Goldman, 130), Simon in a way shouts or screams this to the lord of the flies. Simon knows what the beast is or represents, Simon knows that it is this instinct of savagery that is influencing the boys’ decisions and moral standings. Simon also shows morality when he explains to the boys that the beast does not exist. Simon could have easily just agreed with jack and stay hidden, but that isn’t Simon’s way of living and he wasn’t about to change. Simon gets tested on his beliefs many times and yet he does not sway away from his moral standings and personal
beliefs. To have the potential to be something great, to be a leader in society is amazing and many people don’t have this ability. Simon shows leadership qualities throughout the book. Simon has this insight that is just amazing in the novel. He has this way of looking past the simple things and making them into a symbol into something so much more. Having an insight on things is a great leadership quality because he can see so much more than the normal eyes of the boys on the island. Simon looks past the simple things and can find the bits of truth behinds the lies, it’s as if he can find light in the dark. The only down aside of all of this is that he doesn’t have confidence in himself. He can’t express who he is and what he believes in like some of the other boys on the island. It’s not that he is changing but he can’t express who he is. Simon stays strong to his moral standings. The beast tries to convince Simon that he is nothing and that Simon is going to hell. Simon told the beast that he is just a dead head on a stick nothing more and nothing less. Simons stood up to the savagery inside because he stayed true to who he is. To be a good leader you can’t change yourself for others. Without knowing who you are how can you help other people? The down side is that with all this love and knowledge it’s hard for him to say no to others. Just because he knows himself doesn’t mean he loves himself. If he loved himself maybe he wouldn’t care of what others think of him and he would be able to stand up for himself more often. In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Simon shows many leadership qualities. Even though some of his traits and qualities come with a bit of a down side. Simon still has this potential to be something amazing and be someone who can really change things. Simon has strong moral standings, Simon doesn’t cave into what other people think. Simon’s insight of the darkness and the light mix together to create something amazing. Simon finds a deeper meaning behind everything. Simon shows leadership qualities throughout the novel Lord of the Flies.
Ralph has several positive characteristics but he also has several crucial weaknesses that prevent him from being the perfect leader. In chapter one the boys decide who they want to be leader. The boys decide on Ralph, “”Vote for a chief!”…every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air.” (Golding 18-19). From the very beginning Ralph is seen as the leader. He becomes the one the boys look up to and depend on to make decisions in their best interest. Ralph has natural leadership skills. Landing on the island with no adults to take control, the boys chose to follow the one boy who seems to be doing something productive, Ralph. An example of Ralph being purposeful and productive is when he blows the conch to get the attention of all the boys on the island and bring them together for a meeting. When Jack and his choir find the other boys gathered he asks where the man with the trumpet is, Ralph replies, “There’s no man with a trumpet. We’re having a meeting. Want to join?” (Golding 16). Ralph asks Jack and the choir boys to join the meeting because he wants all the boys to work together so they can be rescued as soon as possible. Other than his leadership and purposeful qualities, Ralph is also hard working. When tasks are given out to the boys, such as building shelters, hunting, gathering food, the hard work of most boys turns into play and exploration leaving Ralph to do most of the work by himself with little help from others. When the other boys gave up on their tasks Ralph continued working, this proves his hard work. Leadership, purposeful, and hard working are all positive qualities that helped Ralph succeed in the novel, but Ralph also had some majo...
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
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a peculiar story about boys stranded on an island, and the plot and characters relate to many prevailing events and problems. A specific problem that is currently occurring is the mutual hatred and enmity between North Korea and South Korea. This is a current event, but the North and South’s hostility has been ongoing since 1945, when Korea was split into North and South, Communist and Capitalist. When the 38th parallel(Border between North and South Korea) was created, Kim Il-Sung ruled the North, and Syngman Rhee ruled the South. As of now, a power hungry dictator, Kim Jong-un rules the north, and an optimistic president who wants to see change was recently elected in the South, named Moon Jae-in. In Golding’s book, Ralph is a character who aimed to keep everyone alive and to stay together. Jack on the other hand, wanted to have fun and hunt, and although he also wanted to be rescued, he made no effort to help. In this sense, North Korea is a clear representation of the character Jack and his quest for power, and opposingly, South Korea is a representation of Ralph and his strive for order, democracy, and civilization.
Throughout the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Simon, one of the boys on the island shows a very complex inner conflict. Simon battles with the inner conflict of whether to give into the human nature to deceive or to tell everyone the truth that he believes there is a beast within everyone. This inner conflict is prevalent throughout the book, however it doesn't manifest until halfway through the book.
Sometimes the most hope comes out of the worst tragedies. In William Golding’s Novel Lord of the Flies, there is a group of boys stranded on a lone island. Almost all the boys become extremely savage, one of the 3 exceptions however is Simon. He is the one boy who brings morality to the island. He is a loner, very hardworking, and extremely kind. None of the other boys on the island understand the difference between what is morally right, and what is emotionally fulfilling. Simon is also the only one of the boys that grasps the true demonic and humanoid nature of the beast. He represents a the islands soul and spirit and bring this morality to the boys.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, all the characters have an significant role and each individual shows a different impact than others in the society. Simon’s innocence through the novel impacts his behavior and the way he treats the littluns with care. He is a flat, static character who has an active role and gives his full support in everything he does. Simon does not give up hope on being rescued and becomes the light of the island as he does everything he can throughout each situation. As the characters and plot develop, the boys begin to change as each character loses their innocence because of their freedom. Simon shows the most purity and compassion as problems increase through the boys as he tries to not let any of the causes affect him. In Lord of the Flies, Simon represents the goodness of the island as he helps the littluns, supports the boys and does everything in his power to make the best of the situation on the island.
Amongst the boys which have be stranded on the coral island, There is one certain character, a character that is different from the rest of the boys, a character which is wise and understanding but most of all importance a character with a symbol. This character is Simon. He is one of the most symbolic characters from the beginning to end.
Importance of Leadership Leadership is something that stands out in people. In a group, people tend to look for the strongest person to follow. However, the strongest person may not be the best choice to follow. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph and Jack each have leadership qualities. Jack is probably the stronger of the two; however, Ralph is a better leader.
Simon in William Golding's Lord of the Flies At the beginning of the novel, William Golding has described Simon as 'a Christ-figure, a lover of mankind a visionary.' We first met him anonymously, he is the child of whom Jack speaks despairingly in Chapter 1. Thereafter we see more of him alone than in company, for his shyness makes it difficult for him to summon up the courage to speak publicly. Yet his affection for the other boys never wanes.
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.
The contrast between Simon and the Beast even contains some Biblical parallels. Simon can be seen as Jesus where the Beast can be seen as the Devil. The meeting between Simon and the Lord of the Flies later in the novel can be seen to parallel the forty days when Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan. Though there are several gaps in this parallel, the main theme Golding is trying to convey is clear.
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?
Lord of the Flies is a novel written by William Golding in 1954 about a group of young British boys who have been stranded alone together on an island with no adults. During the novel the diverse group of boys struggle to create structure within a society that they constructed by themselves. Golding uses many unique literary devices including characterization, imagery, symbolism and many more. The three main characters, Ralph, Piggy, and Jack are each representative of the three main literary devices, ethos, logos, and pathos. Beyond the characterization the novel stands out because of Golding’s dramatic use of objective symbolism, throughout the novel he uses symbols like the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses to represent how power has evolved and to show how civilized or uncivilized the boys are acting. It is almost inarguable that the entire novel is one big allegory in itself, the way that Golding portrays the development of savagery among the boys is a clear representation of how society was changing during the time the novel was published. Golding is writing during
Simon is perhaps the most important character in the novel for he is the first and only character to come to the realization that the Beast is inside them all, and is not represented by a physical manifestation. Simon is a follower, not a leader. He believes and trusts what Ralph, his leader, says. That’s why he mentions that the beast could be inside all of them once, and immediately discards that because Ralph doesn’t think so. His confrontation with the Lord of the Flies is the only way he can liberate that information to himself. The encounter begins with “Even if he shut his eyes the sow’s head still remained like an after-image.” This represents the beginning of the fixation Simon is having on the head, thinking of it even after he shuts his eyes. Golding then points out that the pig had half shut eyes and were dim with infinite cynicism of adult life. Those details come back a little later. It’s at this point where Simon asks himself a question and answers it aloud. “ ‘I know that.’ Simon discovered that he had spoken aloud”. “He opened his eyes quickly and there was the head grinning amusedly in the strange daylight, ignoring the flies, the spilled guts, even ignoring the indignity of being spiked on a stick.” That sentence shows the continuing evolution of the fixation Simon has in this encounter. The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is the head, and he ignores every detail around it. This is when Simon comes to the realization that his original conclusion is credible, the one he let be because of Ralph. He looks away, trying to forget the head even exists, but cannot accomplish that task.. He pulls himself back to the head “Might not the beast come for it?”, simply because he believes the Beast is not a physical manifestation, therefore being impossible for it to come. According to Simon, the head seems to agree with him. At this point, he knows the Beast doesn’t exist physically, but he is hesitant none-the-less. The head says “Run away […] go back to the others. It was a joke really—why should you bother? You were wrong, that’s all. A little headache, something you ate, perhaps. Go back, child.” Simon is making excuses for himself through the pig. Here, the fixation on the head is nearly complete.
In Golding’s book Lord of the Flies Simon is a very significant character, who strangely isn’t made very familiar with the reader until the end of chapter three. At this point in the book the group of school boys who have crash-landed on this uninhabited island, have found a course of action. Unfortunately, not all the boys are working hard to accomplish what needs to get done. Jack is set on catching a pig, Ralph on getting rescued, and the rest of the boys are enjoying their time without adult supervision. While Ralph and Jack are busy arguing over what needs to get done Simon sneaks away for some peace and quiet. At this point in the novel Golding then follows Simon’s walk alone into the forest. Through this Golding effectively establishes