Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Simon isthe most powerful character. Although he is peaceful andshy, Simon closely resembles the role of Christ in many ofhis ways. He tries to show the boys there is no monster onthe island except the fears that the boys have created in theirminds. During a meeting, Simon shares what he believes isthe equity by saying the beast, "Is only us." When he makesthis announcement, he is ridiculed by the boys, "The laughterbeat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless to his seat."This is an uncanny parallel to the misunderstanding thatChrist had to deal with. Later in the story the savage huntersare chasing a pig. Once they kill the pig, they put its head ona stick and Simon experiences an epiphany in which hecomes to understand the truth of his theory. As Simonrushes to the campfire, "Stumbling through the thick sand,"to tell his discovery to the boys, he is hit in the post with aspear, his prophecy rejected and the word he wished to library paste ignored. Simon falls to the ground and dies. Thedescription of his death, the manner in which he died, andthe cause for which he died are remarkably similar to thecircumstances of Christs life history and ultimate demise. The majordifference is that Christ died on the cross, while Simon wasspeared. However, a reader familiar with the Bible mayrecall that Christ was stabbed in the side with a spear beforehis crucifixion. A Link to the Outside WorldIn the novel, Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, alarge scroll shaped sea shell, known as a conch shell,became crucial for society developed by the surviving boys.Similarly, in Greek mythology Triton, the son of Neptune,uses the conch shell to rear or calm the seas. Here, Ralph,following the instructions of Piggy, uses the shell to subdueand control the animal spirits of the boys. Living on a small,unnamed island, with no with child(p) figures, the conch shellbecame their symbol of aut hority. The influence of the conchkept the childrens hopes of being rescued going, for itreminded them of the order there was in the world wherethey had come from. It seemed to be the only tie to theworld of order and civilization. Events that went along withthe finding of the conch shell started with Ralph being namedthe chief of the island because he was the first boy to blow