Simon in Lord of the Flies

Through his allegorical masterpiece 'LORD OF THE FLIES,' William Golding depicts various sides of humanity during the Cold War in 1940 (post-WW-II).

Interestingly, Golding picks a group of schoolboys as his primary characters and underlines how they strive to survive in a difficult and chaotic situation.

Golding's handling of each character is masterful. Some of them are seen behaving sanely and morally. At the same time, others resort to their primal instinct – wickedness and savagery!

Each of the schoolboys embodies familiar symbolic importance, thus reflecting the kind of people we see around us. 

Ralph, the protagonist of this novel, resembles democracy and civilized behavior. Contrariwise, Jack is the antagonist of Golding's novel. Thus, he embodies tyranny, brutality, and wickedness. 

However, two characters come of age in this novel. Piggy symbolizes rationalism and intellect and even establishes himself as a problem-solver. In contrast, Simon is the saintly figure per Golding thrust on a marooned island without societal guidelines or adult supervision.

Today, we dig deep into analyzing Simon in LORD OF THE FLIES.

Golding's Symbol of Saintliness & Goodness on a Lawless Land

Often readers ask if Ralph embodies civilization and democracy on one side and Jack symbolizes tyranny and subjugation on the other, where Simon stands.

Golding hints that Simon is different from the other boys! He is kind, moral, and more mature than the rest of the lot. In many ways, Simon depicts Golding's ideal human personality in the future. For this reason, Golding considers Simon above the other characters (even Ralph, the protagonist).

After experiencing the horrors of war up close and the startling expense of humankind's ingenuity, he states that humankind's moral nature shapes society, not some political system, regardless of how acknowledgeable or logical it seems. 

Simon's inert goodness, maturity, and saintliness make him the opposite of Jack's evil instincts. As we progress through the novel, we learn when Jack reveals the 'Evil' in his heart and starts inflicting fear and authority through suppression; the other characters eventually start looking at things the same way. Even Ralph (the symbol of civilization and morality level-headedness) succumbs to the temptations of evil and relinquishes his ethical conduct.

With no essence of civilization and order around them, all the boys bring out their malicious intents and act immorally without regret or fear of punishment. Golding explains that without civil rules or guidelines to keep them in check, the boys quickly turn savage and commit atrocious acts against their team members. 

Simon is the only one among the lot who doesn't succumb to the evil manifesting among the others. He remains true to himself and continues acting morally and logically. Golding depicts that Simon behaves the way he does, not under the influence of fear of oppression, but due to his inherited goodness and principles. 

Despite the mayhem, savagery, and murderous intents in Jack and Roger and their influence over Ralph and Piggy, Simon never wavers from his faith and affection in them. 

• Golding also Portrays SIMON as a 'Visionary'& 'Christ-like Symbol.'

Golding portrays SIMON as a visionary, philanthropist (lover of humankind), and the symbol of Jesus Christ. In comparison, everyone else indulged their inert evil self after becoming unshackled from the inhibitions of civilization and societal rules like going hunting, feasting ripe fruits, etc. Simon chooses a different path!

Not wavering from the path of the righteous and good, Simon continues exploring the lush green forests and relishing the nonpareil magnetism of the island. While reconnoitering the island, he even discovers his secret sweet spot and recognizes the truth through his sixth sense. 

Moreover, during his exploration, Simon is baffled by the unchanging nature of humankind and the formulated communities. His mindset makes him an affirming individual on Beelzebub's island, comprising barbarians and sadists. 

While the other boys were busy manifesting evil and creating a setting of chaos, mayhem, and bloodletting, Simon contemplated on the duality of humankind, one as the hero figure and the other as a sickness.

Per Simon, human beings' inert goodness dictates their actions and casts them into the figure of a hero or savior. Contrariwise, when malicious intentions envelop humankind, they morph into savage abominations capable of unrestrained evil without empathy or remorse. They transform into a Sickness that plagues communities and their inhabitants exponentially. 

Simply put, Simon was the only one who sensed the actuality and antiquity of humankind along with their philosophy. 

After acquiring the knowledge of inert evil in humans, Simon consigned him with the fate of Jesus Christ (humankind's salvation). When all the boys feared the presence of an insight beast amidst their presence, Simon provided the voice of reason. Being a skeptic, and recommends everyone to climb atop the mountain. When no one agreed, Simon climbed the mountain alone to find the truth behind everything without fear of losing his life.

His fear diminishes from his strong faith in spiritual reality and thus enters the dense, deep forest without dreading the presence of any beast. Upon finding the Lord of the Flies (which was a rotted body of the parachutist), Simon unraveled the truth, which was terrible but harmless. 

Through this scene, Golding underlines a significant message. The inert beast becomes harmless if one is ready to purge oneself from their evil desires. But, if not, then the beast can overwhelm any individual and manifest physically through his wretched actions. 

After getting enlightened about the truth (through his interaction with the Lord of the Flies), Simon plans to break the news to others. However, the Lord of the Flies warms Simon of the impending threat to his life. Simon ignores the warning and goes down to the beach, where the other boys are conjointly reveling in some strange beast-slaying ritualistic dance in the cover of darkness. 

Unfortunately, Simon couldn't finish conveying the complete truth quickly enough and was inhumanely murdered by his supposed comrades. The boys had lost all sense and sensibility and believed Simon was the beast of the island. Thus, Beelzebub's prophecy comes true, and the innocence of Simon is overtaken by the evil in the boys. After killing Simon, the boys carried his corpse out to sea. 

Martyrdom Leading to the Veneration of Saint

Simon wanted nothing but the well-being of his comrades. For them, he even risked his life to uncover the truth behind the unsightly beast on the island. Despite his good intentions and pure heart, he met with a brutish, untimely demise at the hands of those very comrades. 

William Golding’s portrayal of this scene is nothing short of brilliant as he reveals the ugly truth that one's desire to protect others can often be their own undoing. And those closest to us often pose the greatest threat of all. 

Simon dies as a martyr, and his martyrdom led to the veneration of Saints. Furthermore, his obsequies resemble that of a hero figure, a pure-hearted saint, and a victim to the boy's besmirched heart. 

His demise happened when the island cowered beneath a ginormous storm. The scene resembled as if the heavens themselves were shocked at what happened, and the storm was a manifestation of their anger and rage. 

The gradual transition from the boys' palpable bloodthirstiness to benediction signs a diminuendo. The uncontaminated serenity following the previous evil is also indicative of nature's atonement towards the pure-hearted boy. Finally, as the skies clear out and the sound of waves becomes still, the ocean reverently accepts Simon's meticulously adorned and tended corpse. 

Golding brilliant depiction of Simon's death and everything that follows is remarkable and sets goose bumps among its readers. The splendors of the open water, complemented by the power of the cosmos, transformed the boy's betrayal and horrible crime into a sight of dignity and tranquility. 

Through this depiction, it is not difficult to relate to the signs of resurrection, as the calm ocean water carries Simon's corpse toward his apotheosis. View Examples

Golding's Warming and Enlightenment to Readers through Simon's Death

Simon was unable, to tell the truth to his so-called comrades. But Golding provides warming and enlightenment to his readers. According to Golding, humans must expunge their darkness and possess goodness in their hearts. Only by doing so can they save the world from unceasing murder and mayhem. Only through goodness can one end all circles of hatred and evil. Plus, he warns the readers that evil begets evil and turns humankind into a sickness. 

If individuals had realized this sooner, the surrounding world would not be at the mercy of countless nuclear wars, destruction, and murder. Evil corrupts the best of individuals and makes them forget their true nature, much like the innocent boys who got possessed by the demon called evil. 

Simon did everything he could to share his truth with the other boys – but failed. However, Golding's message is loud and clear and serves as the key takeaways from his acknowledged allegorical novel.

The above analysis of Simon is what makes him such a potent figure in Golding’s Lord of the Flies.