Later in the chapter, Simon finds himself in the wilderness of the forest. While there, Simon was calm and enjoyed the solitude of his surroundings; “He came at last to a place where more sunshine fell.” Right after Jesus’ Baptism God spoke to him and “the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him” (Matthew 3:16). The light that Simon encountered can also be seen as God speaking to him, which can help to explain why Simon seems so serene in the wilderness
Simon was made fun of by the other boys because of how he acted and the things he said. One such occasion was when he was talking to Ralph and said, "You'll get back to where you came from" to which Ralph replied a few lines later, "You're batty." Simon here has a prophecy about Ralph, and was made fun of for what he believed. Jesus was made
fun of in much the same way especially when he spoke of the Kingdom of God. Both Jesus and Simon had prophecies about things to come, and they were both persecuted for sharing those prophecies.
In chapter five, the boys begin to discuss the existence of a beast on the island. When asked what he thought about it, Simon replied with “what I mean is... maybe it’s only us.” The idea that the evil was not something to be feared in the jungle, but to be feared within themselves was not received well by the rest of the boys. “Simon’s effort fell about him in ruins, the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenceless to his seat”. Many of the prophecies revealed by Jesus were also disregarded and not accepted by everyone. This depicts that both Simon and Jesus were misunderstood by the people around them.
In chapter, eight we learn that Simon is epileptic. Golding never says this but when he describes Simon fitting, we can link the text with epilepsy;
“Licking his dry lips.”
“A pulse began to beat upon his head.”
“Head tilted slightly up”
“Body arched and stiff”
“Lost consciousness”
While Simon is having this epileptic fit, he has a conversation with the Lord of the Flies.
Simon’s encounter with the Lord of the Flies in chapter nine can be seen as a parallel to Jesus’ confrontation with Satan in the desert. Simon and Jesus were both challenged by evil but overcame it. Although, the Lord of the Flies would reveal to Simon that it is the evil within the boys, “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you.” From this, he reaches an epiphany and later leaves to tell the other boys. Simon, after his conversation with the “Lord of the Files”, Simon goes to face the beast at the top of the mountain. When he saw and recognised the parachutist for what it really was he went down to tell the others. Mistaking him for the beast the boys started attacking Simon. It is quite likely that Simon was hit in the side by a spear in the fight that followed. Jesus was also stabbed in the side before his crucifixion.
The deaths of Simon and Jesus also had many things in common. Both were killed by members of their community, and were persecuted for the sins and evil of others. The events that directly followed the
deaths of Simon and Jesus are very much similar also. According to the Bible, when Jesus was being persecuted “there was darkness over the whole land” (Mark 15:33) and once he died the earth shook. When Simon died “the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall”
In addition, the way Simon dies and floats out on to the water, the light reflects off the water and gives the feeling of holiness, and the way he floated with his arms stretched out like he was on the cross as Jesus was. “Softly, surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures, itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simons dead body moved out towards the open sea.”
One of the last parallels between Simon and Jesus is shown after Simon’s death. While his body laid on the beach “the strange attendant creatures with their fiery eyes and trailing vapours, busied themselves round his head”. This can be linked with the hallow that Jesus was said to have had after his death.
So, through the story Simon is displayed as a person with divine ties. He is a reminder that Christ is everywhere. The many instances that Simon gains the courage to speak show how smart and intelligent he really is. Simon like Christ was never evil and always helped others out with what he could.
