This represents Simons underlying affect on the group. When he is walking through the jungle towards his cavern, he comes across some small children, "little-uns". They are trying to reach some fruit located just beyond their grasp in a tree. Simon obligingly picks the 'choicest' fruit from the foliage and passes it back down to the 'endless outstretched hands'. This scene can be likened to an event in the bible, which is where Jesus Christ feeds five thousand people with a few loaves of bread and some fish. Simon is often regarded as a prophet or even a saint like figure. He thinks of things in a different way, Simon is the only one with a real view of the ‘Beast’. He has a considerable strength of mind but is frail of body. He enters the book fainting, something that he seems to do regularly and he suffers from epilepsy or some similar condition. In chapter 5 Simon says how there may be a beast on the island, but that “it’s only us”. He recognises that the beast is not a tangible form but exists as an impulse of evil within each individual; the others mock him for his views. His view is backed up again in Chapter 8 when he has his conversation with the pigs head, this conversation confirms to him that the beast is really inside everyone but shows that most would rather have fun ‘than’ worry about things. He then falls unconscious. Later he wakes, he is certain that the truth about the beast is to be found on the mountain. He finds the body of the pilot and his views of the beast are confirmed.
After he has this revelation on the mountain top he rushes to tell the others. It is night and a storm is brewing, the boys are frightened of the dark and a celebration dance becomes a violent frenzy to rid the boys of their fear. Simon bursts into the dance with the news of the airman and in the darkness is mistaken for the beast and killed.
Golding uses the death of Simon in the novel to represent the boy’s completion of their degeneration from civilization to social breakdown. It is the final step in the revolution from the rules of society to savagery. It represents human struggle and conflict to uphold the rules. Before his death there was the clash between the impulse to obey rules, to behave morally and to act lawfully, and the impulse to seek brute power over others, to act selfishly, to gratify ones desires and to indulge in violence. In chapter 4, Roger is purposely throwing stones at a little boy called Henry, ‘Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents, school and policemen and the law. Rogers arm was conditioned by a civilisation that knew nothing of him and was in ruins’.
The death of Simon is significantly the last step the boys take from the chance to return to normality and the transition to uncontrolled brutality. Simon and the other characters importance in this ‘transition’ is portrayed in the way that the book is written. Golding excludes poetic language, lengthy description and philosophical interludes instead it is an allegorical novel, meaning that characters and objects in the book directly represent then novels central ideas. The two extremes of society are portrayed in the characters Jack and Ralf. These are the two contrasting ways in which the boys could turn without the structures of society to guide them.
In the beginning of the novel Simons actions present him as a peaceful, helpful character, this is shown in contrast to the likes of Jack Merridew who’s character Golding has intended you to dislike. Symbols are also used to portray society and structure. The conch, which forms a strong symbol of democratic freedom from the very beginning, is used to represent the freedom of speech of the holder. The fire represents the hope and the wish of the boys to be rescued and the huts built represent the want to be back in civilisation, a civilization, where society holds everyone together, where, without this structure, basics of right and wrong are lost, without society’s rigid rules, where anarchy and savagery can take over.
Golding creates a world of increasing violence where as time extends the boys go through the stages of transformation and start to destroy the island. There are two examples that illustrate this: the boys kill a sow, which could have bread and provided future meat, and in their hunt for Ralf, they destroy the fruit trees. This disregard for their surroundings, their increasing violence and their immature views shows that in their illogical and immature minds they cold believe the beast to be true. None of the other boys with perhaps the exception of Piggy have anything like his insight. It is Simon who tries to explain the notion of evil which manifests itself in ‘the fear’ and ‘the beast’ by asking (pg 97) “What is the dirtiest thing there is?” He has the intellect and maturity to understand the concept, but lacks the language to express it. We can only assume that his perception has been regarded as strange and alien on other occasions, in part accounting for his strangeness, which is why he is reluctant to voice his opinion with feelings of confidence. Simon represents the way that Christ was punished, even though he was bringing good news to people. Simon’s death reduces the likelihood of the other boys ever coming to understand the truth about the beast, as he was the only one who could process their fears and who had the capacity to see through the mirage of savagery, he has the ability to see beyond narrow personal interests.
Ultimately Simon’s death shows how badly the situation on the island had deteriorated. The potential for hurt and violence isn’t only generated in ‘bad’ characters such as Jack, Piggy and Ralf were also to blame for the death of Simon. As this barrier had been crossed by the group as a whole and there was no one to blame it was accepted as the right path to take. Group violence had been accepted by the boys, this led to the true colours of individuals. The boys were overcome by their savage side and there tribal instinct took the better of them. Simon’s death makes Ralph realise what is happening, he knows it was not an accident; they are loosing touch with civilisation and responsibility. Golding uses Simon to show that when we are in trouble, we are likely to turn on the people that we do not understand. Simon is unlike the others thoughtful, sensitive and intellectual, he is a rather mysterious character who plays a key role in the supernatural side of the story along with ‘spooky noises from the jungle’ and his weird visions.
After Simon’s death, any trace of rules and resemblance of society that had been taken to the island had gone. This left the path open to the vicious murder of piggy and the final man hunt for Ralf. Simon’s death is of utmost importance to the novel as a whole. It changes the structure of the system of authority on the island and it removes the only person who might reveal the fact that the beast is a figment of their imagination and so therefore ridding the island of the boys fear.
