There are many ideas and themes that people have come up with for the Lord of the Flies. But there is one in particular that is very interesting, and it’s the idea that Lord of the Flies is an allegory for the bible and that Simon actually represents Jesus Christ. This isn’t just some made up idea with no evidence many people have characterized Lord of the Flies as a retelling of episodes from the Bible. And while that might seem a little farfetched, the novel does have certain Christian images and themes. The author does not make any explicit or direct connections to Christian symbolism in the book, but these biblical ideas just add to the main ideas of the story. It seems that the entire island, and specifically Simon’s little spot in the forest, represents the Garden of Eden and its purity. …show more content…
Also the beastie can be seen as a representation of the devil, because it is what seems to have started the evil within humanity. But most importantly, there is a strong similarity between Simon and Jesus. Out of everyone on the island, Simon is the only one who finds out the truth in the novel. He finds out that the beastie is not real and that it’s just a dead parachuter. And because of this it seems that the other boys kill him sacrificially as a consequence for discovering the truth. Simon’s conversation with the Lord of the Flies also is very similar to the conversation between Jesus and the devil during Jesus’s forty days in the wilderness. In the book the Lord of the Flies says “I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this
One reason Simon is regarded as the Christ figure in Lord of the Flies is that he commits many selfless acts just like Jesus Christ did. Simon chooses to stay and help Ralph build huts rather than go play with the other inhabitants. Ralph compliments Simon by saying “Simon. He Helps. All the rest rushed off. He’s done as much as I have” (54). Golding also illustrates Simon’s generosity when “Simon pulled off the choicest fr...
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.
He alone saw that the jungle, which represented freedom and the lack of civilization, was not to be feared but to be understood; he alone knew that the mythical Beast of the island, feared by all the boys, was, in fact, their own inherent savagery. Through these truths, Simon represents a Christ figure paralleling Christ's misunderstood message and Christ's death. Simon was the observant, 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 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. The lack of civilization and human goodness leads the young children to evils and a bad environment that they have never faced. Simon, a “skinny, vivid boy,” pg. 113. 24)” is a member of Jack’s choir but soon leaves his tribe and joins Ralph because he is not able to deal with the cruel leadership.
The book can be split into three parts to show how evil on the island advances. In the first part we learn about the boys meeting on the island and the first assembly. The boys share their ideas but hopes fall due to some of the boys, which fail to admit that they think they will be saved. In the second part the threat of evil begins especially due to the arrival of the dead air pilot. Immediately, the boys are struck with fear... and the boys are all affected with it like a disease What the boys don’t realize at this point is that its not an external fear which creates evil it’s the boys own nature. Finally the third part which is the most terrible part of the story is when the book explores the meaning and consequence of the creation of evil. The evil is so great on the island that the boys eventually split, the good and the evil. The hunters are the evil when Ralph and his friends are the good. The parting of the boys resulted in death, pain and savage. Simon projects the internal evil and fear of the boys. However Simon doesn’t share his feelings for the evil with the others. Within the story Simon is seen as the ‘Christ’ of the island.
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.
“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill…You knew didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close. Close. Close,” in comparison to “And he said, ‘That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man’…All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Golding 143, Mark 7:20- 7:23, KJV). Both statements about inner evils, both spoken by one in the same person. The former was stated by Simon in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies as he spoke to the Lord of the Flies, and the latter is transcribed in the scripture of the Holy Bible, a book devoted to the life and stories of Jesus. These coinciding excerpts are not by coincidence in any way. Simon is the symbolic Christ figure in Lord of the Flies in more ways in one. Often
The reason the Lord of the Flies threatens Simon is because Simon knows that the beast is not a tangible creature that lives in the forest which is dangerous information. In reality, the beast is simply the innate evil that resides in every man. Simon knows this because he realizes that all the information the boys know about the beast does not add up and that such a creature cannot exist so it must be something impalpable but powerful, something that is making them so afraid that it is changing them from the inside out. He questions this “beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountaintop, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samneric” and grasps the concept that the more they fear the beast, the more they change (112).
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.
Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, is a novel about British schoolboys, who survived on an island after the plane crash. This novel is an allegory: It is a literary work in which each character, event, or object is symbolic outside of the novel. It is allegorical in the level of society in terms of three major symbols. The conch symbolizes civilization, and helps to possess an organized law and order. Next, Jack, as the main antagonist in the novel, represents a savage in the society. Furthermore, the fire signifies the return of civilization and conflicts within the society. Thus, Lord of the Flies is an allegory for society since it represents good governance, humanity’s innate cruelty, and struggles to the return of its civilization.
Golding illustrates mankind’s essential illness when the boy’s pillage the once beautiful Garden of Eden and render it a perverted Eden. When the boy’s first crash on the island, Golding describes it as enchanting, full of beautiful waters and tress that cover the skyline. Golding illustrates the enchanting beauty of the island when he depicts, “ This was filled with a blue flower, a rock plant of some sort, and the overflow hung down the vent and spilled lavishly among the canopy of the forest. The air was thick with butterflies, lifting, fluttering, settling” (Golding 28). Clearly, before the evils of mankind disturb the island, it is quite beautiful. However, this charming landscape does not last forever, as the boys light half the island on fire when they try to make a signal fire. Golding conveys the children are destroying the once beautiful island and turning it int...
Another of the most important symbols used to present the theme of the novel is the beast. In the imaginations of many of the boys, the beast is a tangible source of evil on the island. However, in reality, it represents the evil naturally present within everyone, which is causing life on the island to deteriorate. Simon begins to realize this even before his encounter with the Lord of the Flies, and during one argument over the existence of a beast, he attempts to share his insight with the others.
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.
In Lord of the Flies, many key characters and symbols represent the almost civilized impulse. Some examples are Ralph, Piggy, and the ‘conch shell’ the boys use to call meetings. These are signs of order and control in a place full of fear and mental pressure. Simon is an example of how humans slowly evolve and adjust to their surroundings because he takes control of the situation. Simon acts morally on the island, he behaves kindly to the younger children, and he is the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies.