Lord of the Flies (Simon)

Kayque Rodrigues
Ms. Post
English 4 (Honors)
10 - 27 - 12

Simon's Stigmata In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, the character Simon portrays many characteristics similar to those demonstrated by Jesus in the bible. He is shown to have all the qualities that Jesus has: determination, intelligence and resilience. Even his physical appearance portrays Christ since he is skinny and not much of a tough person. Simon was very calm and caring for others, especially with the little children and enjoyed being alone when he could. Simon embodies a pure spiritual human goodness that is deeply connected with nature and people around him as Jesus did with his disciples. Both Jesus and Simon had prophecies about things to come, and they were both persecuted and were ridiculed of for sharing those prophecies. Whereas Ralph and Jack stand at opposite ends of the scale between civilization and savagery, Simon stands on an entirely different plane from all the other boys. Unlike all the other boys on the island, Simon acts with kindness and purity because he believes in the inherent value of morality. He behaves kindly toward the younger children, and he is the first to realize the problem posed by the beast, that the monster on the island is not real or something that can be hunted down and killed. It isn't physical but rather a savagery that lurks within each human being. In Golding’s view, the human impulse toward civilization is not as deeply entrenched as the human impulse toward savagery. Despite the fact that Simon is one of the smallest "biguns" he never follows the others way of thinking, nor backs down when it comes to speaking up for himself. One such occasion where he shows his defiance of the others' beliefs is when he says to everyone, "I think we ought to climb the mountain." (page 128) This shows that he knows the beast isn't real and he shows no fear of the unknown. Jesus called people to do things they thought would be simply impossible just as Simon did, and the fact that not even the stronger boys had the courage to do it shows how assured Simon is to his morals.
Simon was sacrificed during the ritual dance so that the other boys could live. Simon was killed by all the boys in an excruciating way and claimed that it wasn't really him. Everyone but Ralph thought that Simon was the beast, and didn’t think twice before attacking him. Ralph knew it was Simon they killed, and he realized how everyone was acting like wild creatures. Also the way Simon was shown in the movie after he died showed him as a Christ-figure in the story; Simon dies on water that is calm and peaceful, as the light reflected off the water it gave a kind of feeling of holiness. Simon’s body was carried out by the waves and the way he was floating with his arms stretched out, replicates the way that Jesus died on the cross.
Throughout the story, Simon is shown to have a very strong connection with Jesus by his actions of kindness. He displayed as a person with divine ties with Christ and a reminder that purity is everywhere, even when all hopes seem to be gone. The many occurrences Simon gains the courage to speak up and show how smart, intelligent he really is makes a huge impact on everyone. Simon, like Christ, was never evil and always helped others out with what he could. Simon symbolizes and demonstrates a sort a purity that goes beyond human goodness. However, his brutal murder at the hands of the other boys designates the lack of that goodness in people against an overwhelming abundance of evil that lies deep within each and everyone one of us.