What is the importance of Simon in Lord of the Flies
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SIMON IN LORD OF THE FLIES The character of Simon is featured heavily in the novel, but his personality is quite a mystery to the reader. This essay aims to explore and explain the importance and significance of Simon in the novel, and various viewpoints and connections with him and other characters. Firstly Simon's importance will be considered in relation to the plot of Lord of the Flies. Generally Simon is on the outskirts of the goings on in the novel, such as meetings or when the three boys climb the mountain to find the beast, but occasionally he speaks out, to the sound of much ridicule from the rest of the children. One such occurrence is on page 159 where, after much prompting he manages to say: ' "I think we ought to climb the mountain" ' then a few lines later he whispers: ' "What else is there to do?" '. These apparently irrational ideas are in fact those of a much more intelligent mind and in truth are not as unusual as the boys imply, but on the island he is generally regarded as weird. Up until his death, Simon is often ignored and left to himself in the novel, with only Ralph and Piggy really taking any notice, such as on page 64 only the Ralph and Simon are working on the shelters when Jack appears, and Simon suddenly enters the conversation: ' "They're hopeless. The older ones aren't much better. D'you see? All day I've
What is the importance of Simon in 'Lord of the Flies'
What is the importance of Simon in Lord of the Flies? Write about: - The importance of the part Simon plays in the plot - How Simon is different from the other boy's - What Simon might represent - The ways the writer uses Simon to convey his ideas. 'Then one of the boys flopped on his face in the sand and the line broke up.' Even at this point, the very first mention of Simon in The Lord of the Flies, Simon is marked out as something different. Throughout the book, he is the outsider. Inhabiting the 'dubious region' between biguns and littluns - he is singled out for his faints, as Jack says, 'In Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor,' and, like Piggy, is often the subject of group ridicule. For example, when on page 92 he admits to being out at night, his mumbled excuses are put down with Jack's dismissive 'he was taken short' - and he is crushed by 'the derisive laughter that rose.' He also seeks solitude, not companionship - but somehow is never afraid, unlike the other boys - who are all afraid at one time or another. In due course, as the story progresses, he seems to become even more of a social recluse - even Ralph, who Simon generally seems to support, confides to Jack that 'He's queer. He's funny.' And this is without the one important, most drastic difference between Simon and the others - which only the reader finds out about - Simon's
What is the importance of Simon in The Lord of the Flies?
What is the importance of Simon in The Lord of the Flies? Write about: First. The importance of the part Simon plays in the plot Second. How Simon is different from the other boys Third. What Simon might represent Fourth. The ways the writer uses Simon to convey his ideas Simon is a very important character in the story because he represents the good in all people and he is not touched by evil at all. The first mention that we get of Simon is at the beginning when he is in Jack's choir and faints from the heat. From here we realise that Simon is different to the others in that he sees the good in things for example, at the end of the first chapter Simon sees the beauty of flowers that look like candles, "Here they paused and examined the bushes around them curiously. Simon spoke first. 'Like candles. Candle bushes. Candle buds.'", this could suggest that Simon is very spiritual. Furthermore in the third chapter he is the only one to stay with Ralph and build the shelters, all the other boys just go and play in the sand or the sea. Simon also represents good in the story because he is always helping the other boys and has no evil or violent actions during the life of his character, one example of this is that he helps the littleuns to get fruit "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach", this is a truly altruistic action and helps the reader paint a
Lord of the Flies
"Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story." Argue against this statement. It may look as if Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story. However, there is also a truth concealed deep inside the novel where Golding uses symbolism effectively so that readers are able to become conscious of certain issues. The issues it concerns are: society, human nature, good vs. evil, ecological balance and cooperation. Lord of the Flies reveals a multifaceted story beneath an effortless storyline. In the novel, Golding takes the time to explicate to readers that man and women are who they are because of their childhood, that if they were not brought up well they will grow to be uncivilized. Take this for example Piggy continuously talks about his auntie saying, 'my auntie-'this and 'my auntie-'that, remembering everything that his auntie told him, what was right and what was wrong and understands that,' grown-ups know things.' This shows that without care and guidance that children receive from parents, guardians, or anyone at all, children will regress back to the roots of savagery of their fellow ancestors. Nonetheless, if you look in-depth into the story there is more than meets the eye. Thus claiming that Lord of the Flies is just a children's adventure story is incorrect, the story exposes a more intricate plot. At the beginning, the boys were ordered and
Lord of the flies. How does Golding make Simon such a significant figure in the novel?
How does Golding make Simon such a significant figure in the novel? The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, details the story of a group of schoolboys stranded on a deserted tropical island and their struggle between the choice of savagery or civilization. In many novels throughout history, characters often take on characteristics of well known religious, political, or historical figures. In Golding's novel, the character Simon actions and words make him a very important and significant character in the novel. There are many biblical parallels in The Lord of the Flies that result in Simon being compared to Jesus Christ. He commits many selfless acts, just as Jesus Christ did. Simon chooses to stay and help Ralph build huts rather than horse play with the other inhabitants. Ralph compliments Simon by saying "Simon. He Helps. All the rest rushed off. He's done as much as I have" this also showing how Simon is a supportive figure in the novel, especially to Ralph. We see this later in the novel when Ralph is left alone with only Simon and Piggy by his side. Golding also presents Simon to be very generous; as he comes to the aid of the hungry littluns, Simon always appears to help in times of crisis. Piggy's glasses have been knocked off by an angry Jack and Simon appears without warning to pick them up and hand them back to Piggy, expecting nothing in return. His
Lord of the Flies Research Paper
Symbolism in Lord of the Flies In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, symbolism plays an important role! The story unfolds as we find the boys on an uncharted island during the next world war. As order becomes diminished, the boys become savage and terror reigns supreme. Golding uses symbolism to compare the boys' adventure to the happenings of the real world back home during the war. William Golding was a very popular and serious author. He "is considered one of the most distinguished twentieth century novelists" (Marsh 1). Golding has based his story off the classic novel The Coral Island, by R.M. Ballantine, and creates a modern myth that unfolds with swift and brutal inevitability. "In addition...Lord of the Flies shows a grasp of telling detail that bespeaks the author's experience with real-life situations" (Marsh 1). Golding uses the beast as a major symbol in the novel. "The beast quickly becomes a sign of the children's unrest, of their superstitious fear which becomes so overwhelming that it eventually takes control of their situation." (Michel-Michot 1) The beast also is symbolized as "the source of evil in human life." (Hynes 6) The symbolic role that the conch plays is an important in the novel. "The conch...is...just a symbol of order." (Cox 1) The conch also plays a larger role in the novel, in that its "symbolic meaning, that is the end of the beauty of
Lord of the Flies - Letter from Ralph
Lord of the Flies Letter to Ralph parents Dear Mom and Dad, I am writing you to inform you that I am very well, I hope you are fine too. I have spent the last few days on a deserted tropical island where our plane was evacuate and shot down. I am now being rescued by a navy officer. I just wanted to let you know about my experiences that I had on the island. Well when I first reached the island I found it really surreal and beautiful. The atmosphere was so calm, quiet and peaceful. Then I met a boy called Piggy. He was very fat, he had very thick spectacles. He also told me that he had asthma. He always used to say my aunty told me not to do this/that. After a few minutes Piggy found a conch shell and showed me how to make a noise with it. I used the conch to call the other boys from across the island then suddenly a party of choirboys came. Jack was the leader of choir; he was an arrogant and unpleasant fellow. Then we had a meeting and I was declared as the ruler and Jack and the other choir boys went hunting for something to eat. While the other boys were hunting I was trying to maintain some remnants of civilization. Later on some of the younger boys believed that they saw a "beastie" on the island. This beast scared all of us. We had many fears on that island, but needed to remember that they could not let us get in the way of what was important to us. We all
The Beast in Lord of the Flies
The Beast in the Lord of the Flies Patrick Thompson Throughout the book the boys are constantly living in fear of some sort of wild beast which they believe inhabits the jungle. This beast is present among the boys from the very first day when a littlun informs them of a "snake-thing" that lives in the jungle the older boys dismiss this as a nightmare but the littluns are not convinced. Ralph tries to convince the boys that no such beast exists after a young boy has said that the beast comes from the sea and even Simon says their may be a beast undermining Ralph in front of the others which leads to even more fear of the so called beast. When a dead parachutist lands on the island the twins Samneric hear his parachute flapping in the wind they believe it is the beast and rush to tell the others about it at which point Jack suggests they hunt the beast, he is attempting to use their fear to get his own way but this time Ralph's common sense is supported over Jack's savage plans when he asks them "don't you want to be rescued" the boys still listen to common sense for now. Then the older boys go off to explore the area of the island which they have not ventured to yet. This is the area in which the dead airman is suspended in mid air. When the boys finally reach the corpse the wind is strong and as Ralph approaches the airman a gust of wind pushes the corpses
"Why Did William Golding Name His Novel 'The Lord of the Flies'?"
"Why Did William Golding Name His Novel 'The Lord of the Flies'?" Golding's novel comprises many elements of adventure and mystery, but the greatest question surrounding the novel is the very title itself. Unlike other authors, William Golding does not appear to have chosen an appropriate title that deduces the adventure and savagery of the novel, but it is only at a closer look that the title represents the true meaning of the novel. Although throughout the book the only reference to the title is by "The Lord of the Flies" its small part in the book plays an enormous part of the overall meaning of the novel. We are only introduced to it in chapter 8 'Gift for Darkness', where it is nothing more than the decapitated head of a sow lodged onto a stick. In the text it is described as a rather haunting image, which was: ..."grinning amusedly in the strange daylight, ignoring the flies, the spilled guts, even ignoring the indignity of being spiked on a stick." The author talks about the pig's head as if it is alive by using language such as "grinning". Also the way Golding writes "strange daylight" appears that the sow represents the darkness of life, as it is only in the comfort of light that the boys have vision to see it for what it really is. This is as the "Lord of the Flies" represents the fear of the boys for something imaginary, for the beast is nothing more than a
Why is setting significant in Lord of the Flies?
Why is setting significant in Lord of the Flies? In Lord of the Flies, the setting has an important influence on the story and the actions of the characters in it. As it is set on a deserted Island, isolated away from society and civilisation, it allows a microcosm to be born. A plane crash causes the schoolboys to land on the Island and force them to create civilisation between themselves. The fact that the boys are away from rules and reason give them lease to misbehave and do as they wish, which couldn't be done if they were lost somewhere else, highlighting the importance of the Island's isolation. The idea of being without "grown-ups" seems daunting to Piggy, but for the rest of the group it is more like an adventure. Piggy sometimes seems to be the only one with a mature mindset, and he realises that they could be stuck on the Island forever, while the little un's, choir boys and the rest don't think about the long term. The Island is described as quite like a luxury holiday, "palm terrace" and "white surf flinked on a coral reef", which also shows how the boys only think of their time on the island to be temporary. On the Island, where there are no grown-ups, there are no boundaries. Because all the boys are just children, they have not learnt the proper values of what civilisation means and how it is created, or how to live in peace. Most of the boys did not know
