Discuss the role of Simon in Lord of the Flies

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Discuss the role of Simon in ‘Lord of the Flies’

The basic principle of Lord of the Flies is that humans naturally live in savagery and ignorance, without any idea of how to live together. It is the story of boys stranded on an island who must develop a government to survive. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Simon has the control of many roles. All of these roles act as mediations between nature, characters and logical thinking. At the beginning of the novel Simon is described as a "skinny, vivid little boy" with "black, coarse hair" and as a member of the choir. The first time the boys are all together, Simon faints. These factors give us the impression that he is physically weak and won’t play a powerful role in the novel. He is later chosen by Ralph to go with him on an expedition of the island. Because he is so "vivid", he is chosen by Ralph and he also has something about him, which attracts attention which may be a reason for Ralph choosing him out of all of the boys there. Though his role at the beginning of the play seems irrelevant, Simon, within The Lord of the Flies, shows to be a visionary, foretelling future events indirectly. He is the mediator between all the characters on the island, showing signs of leadership, equality and kindness.

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The Role of a prophet changes from the society and cultures from which they live in. In Modern times, a prophet is a visionary, telling people their possibilities; in religious terms, a prophet is the voice of God, guiding others with wisdom and knowledge. In Lord of the Flies, the prophet, Simon, told his people nothing. Simon prophesized events and logically realized what characters had and were to become, this caused for him to not tell people about these prophecies because he knew they would turn against him "maybe there is a beast... What I mean is... maybe it's only us". ...

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