Biblical Allusions In Lord of the Flies.
Destini Young
Mrs. Ashby
Twelfth Grade English
28 January 2015
Biblical Allusions in Lord of the Flies The Bible is the best-selling book in the world, with six billion one million five hundred thousand printed copies. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding made a connection with his book and the Bible, using Simon, the Lord of the Flies, the island, etc. As a result of Golding’s experience in the war, seeing the constant struggles of mankind, his novel “Lord of the Flies” uses religious undertones to show the external struggle between good and evil within every human and how personal choice can either save or destroy mankind. Although, Golding did not actually place a Satan in the book, he did use the Lord of the Flies to personify the Devil. Lord of the Flies is one of many books written based off events in the Bible. According to Bible Hub, the phrase Lord of the Flies refers to Beelzebub, which is a term used for Satan. “The Lord of the Flies, or the beast, inhabits the severed head of the pig staked into the ground. It symbolizes the evil that lies within every person.” (LitChart5) In the book Simon had a conversation with the pig’s head that was staked in the ground. Simon represents everything good, and he himself and the Lord of the Flies cannot coexist.
Simon is spiritual, compassionate, nonviolent, and in harmony with the natural world, like many Biblical prophets and like Jesus. Simon, like Jesus, is sensitive to the feelings of other people. Simon is compassionate towards Ralph when he felt uncertain about their return to civilization, “You’ll get back to where you came from…You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway” (111). Even when Simon knew, that there was little hope of getting back to civilization, he toke the time to understand how hopeless Ralph felt. Simon and Jesus both had capacity to understand truths. Throughout the book, Lord of the Flies, Simon’s resemblance to Jesus is conclusive in the aspects of his qualities, actions, and
Mrs. Ashby
Twelfth Grade English
28 January 2015
Biblical Allusions in Lord of the Flies The Bible is the best-selling book in the world, with six billion one million five hundred thousand printed copies. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding made a connection with his book and the Bible, using Simon, the Lord of the Flies, the island, etc. As a result of Golding’s experience in the war, seeing the constant struggles of mankind, his novel “Lord of the Flies” uses religious undertones to show the external struggle between good and evil within every human and how personal choice can either save or destroy mankind. Although, Golding did not actually place a Satan in the book, he did use the Lord of the Flies to personify the Devil. Lord of the Flies is one of many books written based off events in the Bible. According to Bible Hub, the phrase Lord of the Flies refers to Beelzebub, which is a term used for Satan. “The Lord of the Flies, or the beast, inhabits the severed head of the pig staked into the ground. It symbolizes the evil that lies within every person.” (LitChart5) In the book Simon had a conversation with the pig’s head that was staked in the ground. Simon represents everything good, and he himself and the Lord of the Flies cannot coexist.
Simon is spiritual, compassionate, nonviolent, and in harmony with the natural world, like many Biblical prophets and like Jesus. Simon, like Jesus, is sensitive to the feelings of other people. Simon is compassionate towards Ralph when he felt uncertain about their return to civilization, “You’ll get back to where you came from…You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway” (111). Even when Simon knew, that there was little hope of getting back to civilization, he toke the time to understand how hopeless Ralph felt. Simon and Jesus both had capacity to understand truths. Throughout the book, Lord of the Flies, Simon’s resemblance to Jesus is conclusive in the aspects of his qualities, actions, and