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
"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
Violent Society in Lord of the Flies
Why does the society on the island collapse into violence in 'Lord of the Flies'? 'Lord of the Flies' is an allegorical novel by William Golding in which he employs the scene of a deserted island and the cast of a group of English schoolboys to serve as a framework, through which he explores the themes of his book. The major themes that Golding tackles are the conditioning of behaviour vs. the malicious inclination of human nature and the spectrum of civilisation and savagery. The violence on the island is generated for several reasons, major ones being the loss of conditioning, the transformation from civilised to savage and the conflict between Ralph and Jack. Conditioning is the learning process by which our behaviour becomes dependant on an event or action occurring in our environment. The boys have been constantly conditioned by schoolteachers and parents to follow the conduct of the English society, and not to do wrong or be immoral, as if they were disobedient, they would have been given punishments from authority: in this period, corporal punishment would have been common. The point in the book which clearly demonstrates the conditioning of the boys is when Roger throws stones at Henry in chapter four: 'Roger gathered a handful of stones...a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins.' (page 78). Here, Roger is incapable of throwing the stones directly at
How is fear presented in Lord of the Flies?
How is fear presented by Golding in Lord of The Flies? Fear is an elemental part of the boys' life, it coexists with them throughout the novel, contorting and evolving at the hands of the boys' imagination. This fear mutates, it grows from being just a singular emotion to a catalyst of events; it lives almost a life of its own upon the island, feeding off the lonely isolation of the boys and giving birth to ever more engulfing notions of the emotion. Ever developing the fear is never suppressed, never 'washed to away from the island', until the cleansing hand of civilization once again takes responsibility of the boys-this being the arrival of the navy ship and 'a uniform'. At first fear is merely the speech of the littlest children, harmless to those who were older and 'mature' enough to give it no heed. Maturity, it would seem, within the novel appears to have a definition that implies that the longer one has been in the bosom of society, educated and disciplined by her, the more mature they are. 'He says the beastie came in the dark' tells us far more than just the first incarnation of fear. The quote gives us the idea of the beastie, incidentally a 'snake-thing' (see Adam and Eve). It introduces to us how the fear of the creature is amplified by the inability to see it, given by inclusion of the word 'dark', This is a running theme, without being able to 'see' the beast
The symbolism of the beast in Lord of The Flies
The symbolism of the Beast & its significance to characters in LOTF In LOTF the beast is a symbol of fear, and is represented by Golding in many different ways. It is not only a physical thing, but also a presence within all of the boys, which creates an atmosphere of darkness, and horror. It is one of the signs that Golding uses to show that the island isn't as beautiful as it may seem, and that it has a dark side too. The beast is introduced when the littluns says that he has seen a "snake thing", describing it as "big and horrid." At first the beast is just a vague idea, and Simon says that the littluns scream in their sleep "as if it wasn't a good island." Highlights the dark side of the island. The main characters see the beast differently. As leader, Ralph tries to comfort the boys, by describing the idea of the beast as 'nonsense', which is helping the littluns come to terms with the idea. Jack almost undermines Ralph by saying that even if there was a beast "we'd kill it". This shows his hunter- gatherer quality. Piggy is the rational one, and says that "life is scientific", and that the beast doesn't exist. He gets close to the truth when he explains to the boys that it is possible to be "frightened of people." (The beast is within us all.) Simon is also very rational. He suggests that the only thing they should all fear is the savagery and evil in human nature.
Comparing the similarity in themes in Alex Garland's 'The Beach' and William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'.
Comparing the similarity in themes in Alex Garland's 'The Beach' and William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'. There are a number of themes which are common to The Beach by Alex Garland and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Four of these themes will be reviewed in this essay by comparing the characters and the events which occur. The themes are, first, isolation, which is developed in both books relatively near the beginning of each. Secondly, the fact that things are not as they seem, for example, "The vicious morning sun," and, "the desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering," from The Beach and Lord of the Flies respectively. Thirdly, in both novels insanity is a significant aspect, with particular reference to two of the key characters, Richard in The Beach and Simon from Lord of the Flies. Lastly, the way relationships of the characters develop is explored as the final theme. An important concern for the authors is isolation. In The Beach and Lord of the Flies, Richard and Simon's portrayal follows similar lines. When travelling by himself, Richard soon joins up with two other travellers and they arrive at the beach together. Soon, however, Richard becomes more of an 'outsider' when he faints on arrival at the beach, and feels isolated when he sees his travelling companions have bonded with other members of the community whilst he has been asleep, Something made me
