Simon is one of the most complex characters in Lord of the Flies. But who is he? What is his character? The traits that make Simon himself are his insightfulness, kindness, and shyness. He is proven to be insightful when he suggests the Beast is in the boys, he is kind when he gives fruit to the littluns, and he is shown to be shy when he declines to speak on numerous occasions. All of these actions show his character. The most important characteristic of Simon is his insightfulness. He is a mature and perceptive person, especially for his age. One example of this is when he says, “Maybe...Maybe there is a Beast,” (pg. 125) He explains his thinking on page 206, when he talks to the Lord of the Flies, a representation of evil, and implies that the Lord of the Flies is the Beast. Simon thinks that it is the evil in the boys and humanity in general. This shows he has insight into the nature of humans because it takes an insightful person to recognize that not everything is good, and our evil is our greatest enemy. Throughout the book, this perception drives Simon and keeps him pure. Simon’s second most important feature is his kindness. On page 78, he shows his concern for the wellbeing of everyone else when he braves the hot sun and the bees to pick fruit. He does so to give it to the littluns, and takes the time …show more content…
His shyness is important because it limits him and prevents him from spreading his kindness and insightfulness. An instance of his timidity is when he talks about the Beast being something in the boys rather than physical. He speaks up, but he does so hesitantly and shrinks “defenceless to his seat,” after his ideas are ridiculed. Because of his shyness, he prefers to be alone. This comes up when he decides to go into the forest alone (page 78-80), which he apparently does often. As such, he spends less time with the boys and is not able to spread his good
The encounter with the Lord of the Flies supports Simon’s thoughts that the beast that the boys are hunting for is not an actual animal. The Lord of the Flies tries to persuade Simon to let go of his rational thoughts and be taken over by his primal instincts in order to have fun like the other boys. However, when Simon’s silence declares that he refuses to let go of logic and rationality, the Lord of the Flies realizes that Simon knows what the beast really is—the innermost part of the boys. Simon seems to make this connection that the Lord of the Flies is representational to the inner beast within the boys almost instantly. “His gaze was held by that ancient, inescapable recognition”(Golding 139). Simon instantly The Lord of the Flies quickly makes the connection, too. “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 what they are?” (Golding, 1 ). The Lord of the Flies is symbolic to all the evil that is in humans. As Simon realizes that he was right about the beast, he tries to go back to the other boys to warn them about his discovery, but the Lord of the Flies gets angry. “This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there—so don’t try to
Simon is the one boy who never participates in destructive behaviors and always contributes to the well being of the boys. He continues to work even after everyone stops, gives Piggy food when no one else will, and speaks his mind about the beast. He is also the only one to realize that the true beast is inside the boys. Simon’s moral compass, much like the superego, allows him to see the evil of mankind. Simon is whole-heartedly good. The superego attempts to lead a person to the morally right pathway, much like Simon aims to show Ralph how he can do what’s best for the tribe. The primitive nature of the others overpowers Simon’s internal good nature. Even after his death, Simon’s moral nature lives on through the boys similar to how the superego can continue to shine after a person follows the desires of the id.
Simon shows his individuality and cravings for tranquility and cognizance also through his participation with others. One instance when he truly displays this is when he was picking fruit from the “littluns”. The “littluns” and “lugged them towards the trees” and “Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach” (Golding,56). He feeds them alone and “when he had satisfied them”he “turned away from them and went where the just perceptible path led him” (Golding,56). This shows how through his clarity with nature and himself, he helps others and continues to portray that he prefers to think, act, and help others by himself. He also shows his individualism when he reacted to the death of the pig. With the chaos going around him, Simon isolates himself and “lowered his head, carefully keeping his eyes shut, then sheltered them with his hands” next to the pile of guts Jack and Roger left after penetrating the pig’s head with a stick (Golding,138). He ignores everything around him and tries his best to hide away from the monstrous actions the other boys are committing. This also supports the idea that he favors time alone in his own thoughts in peace rather than facing his fear. In
“It is quite possible to reach God. In fact it is very easy, because it is the most natural thing in the world” (Spiritual Quotes to live by.com). Simon personifies this quote because he is on a different spectrum than the rest of the boys in the book Lord of the Flies. Simon is innately good unlike the other boys who need to be ashamed into being good. The author of the book, William Golding shows through Simon’s actions, words, thoughts, and what others think of him to convey how he is important to the moral health of the boy’s society but on the other hand he is an outcast.
Simon is a character who is a major significance in Lord of the Flies. Simon is one of the boys stranded on the island after his plane crashed. Additionally, Simon is a member of the choir. As part of the choir, he is under the leadership of Jack. Simon is described as “...a skinny, vivid little boy, with a glance coming up from under a hut of straight hair that hung down, black and coarse.” (24) He is also prone to fainting. For instance, shortly after the plane crashes, Simon faints in front of all of the other boys. Simon is an important character in the novel.
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.
Simon is shown by Golding as a martyr who died for the truth. He gave
Simon had a specific mission in the novel: the opportunity to talk to the beast and receive answers, very similar to revelations. His role was to help the boys notice what the Beast really was, and not
In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Simon represents the innate morality of humans, acting as a Christ-like figure, while Roger embodies the all present cruelty and inherent sadism of individuals. Throughout the novel, Simon remains unchanged in terms of morality, as others slowly turn to savagery and hunting, as can be seen when Jack’s group become, “demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green.” Instead Simon finds a quiet spot “in a little cabin screened off from the open space by a few leaves.” By “holding his breath, he [cocks] a critical ear at the sounds of the island,” using his secret cabin to meditate. Coupled with his deep connection to nature, Simon is revealed to be a Christ figure. When left alone with the
The boys project their irrational fears as a derivative of their immaturity, in an attempt to identify a realized external enemy. Literary critic Lawrence S. Friedman explains, “Too immature to account for the enemy within, the boys project their irrational fears onto the outside world. The first of these projections takes the shape of a snakelike “beastie,” the product of a small boy’s nightmare.” (233) The boys’ irrational fear of the unknown, one of a small boy’s nightmare, only serves to exemplify their immaturity in handling situations like this. It is a stepping stone to events to come, prophesied by Simon. In addition, the character of Simon alludes to the fact that there evil ‘beast’ can really be traced to their internalized innate evilness. Simon argues, “maybe there is a beast… What I mean is… maybe it’s only us.” (Golding 89) While all of the boys attempt to explain the phenomena of the ‘beast,’ Simon is the one who realizes that the boys themselves are the evil ‘beast’ they perceive. There is no external force, the ‘beast’ only serves to be a placeholder for the boys’ true primal nature. However, it is Simon’s death, at the hand of the boys themselves, that only serves to prove that evil truly exists in all of these boys. Friedman suggests, “The ritual murder of Simon is as ironic as it is inevitable. Ironically, he is killed as the beast before he can explain that the beast does not exist. His horrid death refutes is aborted revelation: the beast exists, all right, not where we thought to find it, but within ourselves.” (236) His death is truly the tipping point, a point of no return for the boys. After his killing, Simon’s philosophy of inner evil is realized. It is clear that his own philosophy is what ultimately leads to Simon’s death, as unfortunate as it may be. It is reflected of the group’s fear of the unknown, and their
“ The Beast” is a product of the boys’ imagination and name given to their fear. Simon mostly represents morality and the religious side of humanity. Simon is seen as a Christ-like figure throughout the novel, for example, prophesying. The Lord of the Flies saying to Simon, “Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt or 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?”(Chapter 8). Simon is the only character in the novel seems to grasp the true meaning behind “The Beast”. Simon believes that “The Beast” is the product of everyone's darkness inside of them and that can't be defeated. “The Beast” and Simon connect to allegory in the novel by displaying that savagery can wake one’s inner darkness or
Simon is the outcast of the novel. He is quiet and isolated among the group. He is often misunderstood by the boys. However, he has a higher moral and spiritual awareness then the rest of the boys on the island; making him a symbol of faith also. He behaves kindly toward the younger children. He is the only one that helps Ralph to build the huts. Simon acts morally not out of guilt or shame but because he believes in the inherent value of morality. For example, he is the one who stand up for Piggy when he is assaulted by Jack. He is the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies. He went a quest “to discover the identity of the Beast on the mountaintop because he sees the need for the boys to face their fears, to understand the true identity of the false beast on the mountain, and to get on with the business of facing the beast within themselves” (Kelly). After his conversation with lord of the flies, Simon realizes that the monster on the island is not a real beast but rather a savagery within each human being. Regrettably, he does not have a chance to share his
Golding is very good at using characters in Lord of the Flies, he shows good and evil through each of the several characters. One of the characters that represents goodness is Simon. He is a very stable and good character, and has the most positive outlook on their situation. Simon 's traits differ from the other boys, he seems to constantly be assisting the Littleuns and a few other helpless boys like 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 moment displays an example of a moment in which Simon was kind to Piggy in giving him some food, it shows Simon 's true kindness. Another example of this kindness would have been when Simon helps the Littleuns pick food from
Simon helps the kids get fruit from the tree. This shows that Simon is helpful to those who need him. Simon is also insightful throughout the story. An example of Simon’s insight is when the group of boys talk about the beast. Simon says that maybe it is only themselves who are the beasts. This example shows that Simon sees what many of the boys do not. Simon later has a seizure and meets the Lord of the Flies. This seizure shows that Simon was talking to himself and seeing even more what they have become.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Simon represents the six assets of a good leader. Simon embodied the goodness of the good versus