How Does Golding Present Simon in Lord of the Flies-What Is His Role? Essay

William Goldings headmaster of the flies, portrays a group of boys who find themselves abandon on a desert island in a deep battle between civilisation and primal savagery. One of the boys portrayed, Simon, a boy who is kind and physically fragile expresses a deeper knowledge of the problems on the island that the some otherwise boys are unaware of. There are many differing viewpoints on his role in the novel. One of these is that he is a scriptural parallel Simon portrays a saintly figure, and shows many of the qualities demonstrated by Jesus Christ. He demonstrates a strong connection with nature throughout, and likewise is shown to be a character of strong seemliness and kindness.One of the reasons Simon is often thought of as a biblical parallel to Jesus Christ is because of his kick downstairs with The wildcat, which shows a strong relation to Jesus 40 days in the desert, in which he encountered the Devil and was tempted by him to leave his mission. In Lord of the Fli es, Simon meets the beast during an epileptic fit. His mind, or the puppet tells him We are going to have fun on this islandso dont try it on. Simon is organism told that he must(prenominal) not tell the others what he knows, that they must have fun and Simon must not interfere, but he must just run off and play. The name Lord of the Flies is a translation of a word thought to mean a powerful demon, or the devil himself. This shows that Simon may have represented Jesus in the novel.Simons death also shows resemblance to that of Jesus, which shows us that Simon may be Christs representation in the novel. Simon was crying out something of a dead man on a hill. This imagery is displayed just before Simon is mercilessly slaughtered by the other boys, a direct link to the image of Jesus crucifixion on the top of a hill. after(prenominal) Christ was killed, it was s incite that There was darkness over all the landand the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. These supernatural biblica l descriptions recount the solar eclipse and the earthquake which took place after Jesus death. This relates to the death of Simon The clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall, signifying his death. When Jesus was crucified, he died to save mankind. This relates to Simon confronting the figure on the mountaintop. When he died the parachute took the figure forwardand bumped it out to sea.When Simon died, the dead air pilot was eventuallyreleased from his purgatorial state on the island, and as Jesus died and salvaged mankind, Simon died and exorcised the head who lingered between life and death, and between promised land and hell. This shows us that Simon had many strong parallels with Jesus and may have been his biblical parallel in the novel. Simon is a representation of hope and innocence on the island, and has a strong and vital connection with nature. In the novel, Simon has a special place in the forest where he can go and sit al iodin, at unitary with his surro undings. The sunlight pelted down and the butterflies danced. This description indicates that this place where Simon often re brasss is almost paradisiacal, and Simon is able to appreciate the true bang of the island its beauty is not thwarted by his presence, as it is with the other boys. Simon has a strong connection with the island and with nature itself. Simon is able to see the true beauty in the things that others cannot. The creepers, which had once hindered the boys and were previously referred to as snake-like, aid him and form a large mat.This shows his unity with nature. When Simon ventures into the forest the white candle buds open themselves up, which and returned to serene place that he came from. Simon is connected with nature throughout the novel, but is only truly at one with it when he dies. The body of the dead airman being pulled out to sea could also symbolise Simons soul being finally released from the confines of life and returning to nature where it belongs . Simons true sense of gross(a) goodwill is first demonstrated in his expressed concern for the more vulnerable boys. He table service the littluns to get fruit, and pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands. He also helps neandertal to get his glasses back when Jack has knocked them off, showing that he does not discriminate against Piggy because he is different but chooses to help him, even if this may cause him to suffer in the future.These may indicate that Simon, though other characters may be thought of as good and kind, such as Piggy or Ralph, Simon shows no flaws at all. Simon possesses a deep knowledge and commiserateing about the faithfulness of the island and the beast of which the other boys know not. He also seems to posses many mystic qualities. He is the first to understand truly that the beast is not a physical or material being, but something that lives at bottom the boys. contrasted piggy or Ral ph, who are able to appreciate cock-a-hoop knowledge and understanding, Simon possessesthe ability to see the darker side of knowledge. For Simon, the eyes of the Pigs head on the stick are dim with the infinite cynicism of adult life, meaning that adults believe nothing is ideal, therefore his realisation in itself is cynical the beast lives within the children, making Simon distrust the human nature. He knows the truth but is unable to get it across to the other boys Simon became inarticulate in his effort to express mankinds meaty illness. Simon understands the truth fag the beast- that the beast itself thrives within the boys, is not something living that can be hunted, but is mankinds essential illness, the evil that lurks within all men, waiting to be released.The fact that Simon is inarticulate shows that he is unable to express the truth to the others, and even if he had, the boys would not have listened or cared. His death relates to the elements- his knowledge is basa l . Golding shows us the significance of his death by shifting the focus from the movements of Simons body to the movements of the sun, the moon and the stars, inciting that Simons knowledge was as essential as the elements themselves. However, even though he is portrayed as a weak character right from the beginning, Simon is some(prenominal) braver than he seems he is the one who climbs the mountain to encounter the beast, at which he discovers that the beast is not material. Simon possesses a number of mystical qualities, such as his moving abilities. Simon prophesizes to Ralph youll get back to where you came from, almost indicating that he may not. Simon foresees his own death and predicts that Ralph will return home.another(prenominal) way in which Simons mystical qualities are shown is when he asks the other boys rhetorical questions which require much thought to answer, such as what is the dirtiest thing there is? All of these indicate that Simon is a mystic and possesses a much deeper and darker knowledge than the other boys. To conclude, Goldings presentation of Simon shows us his biblical parallel with Jesus and his earthshaking unity with nature, which lets Simon see the true beauty of the island where others cannot, indicating that it is not the island that is against them but that the boys are against the island, truly centralised virtually destruction and savagery.He represents Hope and bravery and has a deep and perhaps dark knowledge, which enables him to perceive the truth much more clearly than the other boys. He also has a flawless good will. This shows us that Simons true role in the novel was that he alonehad the power to save the boys from themselves, for he alone had the knowledge of the beasts true nature. Simon was killed because of this, however he was killed as the beast notwithstanding it is ironic that he said the beast was only us. Simon was the least beast-like, which makes one wonder whether him being less savage makes him more or less human.