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- 5
- 12
- Simon is a small skinny boy and the first time he appears in
- the novel he drops down in a faint on the beach.
- (Chapter One)
- This and his quiet reserved nature may deceive the reader into
- thinking him a 'weak' character. Certainly the other boys
- think him 'batty' or 'cracked' or 'queer'.
-
- Apart from his fainting part of Simon's 'queerness' is his
- habit of going off alone to a special place he has found in
- the jungle.
- He even does this at night and the others regard this as being
- very peculiar especially after there is gossip of the Beast.
- 13
- Although he often goes off to be alone Simon is not un-
- friendly. Indeed he shows himself to be helpful and caring
- assisting with the shelters and even getting fruit for the
- littluns.
-
- In addition he is kind to Piggy and in Chapter Seven bravely
- volunteers to go back on his own through the forest a job no-
- one else is courageous enough to take on.
-
- There is a kind of mystery about the character of Simon. As
- well as his fainting and his odd behaviour he has the ability
- to sense things that cannot be understood by the others.
- There are several examples of this 'power' in the book.
- 14
- In Chapter Seven Simon foretells that Ralph will be rescued.
- Unable to say where the knowledge comes from he just repeats
- to Ralph:
- 'You'll get back where you came from'
-
- It is Simon also who senses the real nature of the 'Beast'.
- Tragically he is unable to express this knowledge to the
- others and they ridicule him when he says:
- ....maybe it's only us
-
- This understanding means that Simon is the only one of the
- boys brave enough to suggest climbing the mountain to confront
- the Beast. Later he follows his own advice and discovers the
- harmlessness of the creature on the mountain.
- 12
- Golding himself has said that Simon is a saint. He has also
- often been compared to Christ.
- Like Christ he is misunderstood and finally killed by those
- whom he is trying to save.
-
- Other episodes such as climbing the mountain and being tempted
- by the Lord of the Flies (the evil one) also remind us of the
- story of Christ.
-
- If Simon is Christ you would expect the aftermath of his death
- to be special and there is no denying that this is one of the
- most beautiful passages in the book.
- 9
- Many readers admit to crying at the death of Simon and even
- less sensitive students can see the tragedy.
-
- The author describes Simon's body turned to a thing of beauty
- by the elements of nature being drawn gently out to sea.
-
- Softly surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures
- itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations
- Simon's dead body moved out towards the open sea.
-