Lord of the Flies ( Novel ) by William Golding

Lord of the Flies                    William Golding

Character and role of Simon

How did Simon die?

Simon is different from the other boys who were marooned on the coral island.  He lean, skinny boy. He has a pointed chin, black coarse hair and bright eyes.  Simon had a philosophic attitude to life. He is a kind hearted boy who hates all kinds of cruelty.  When all other boys were worried about how to escape from the island, Simon was not at all worried about such things.  He belongs to the choir group of Jack, he did not like Jack’s cruel ways. Simon is a lonely boy.  He is helpful and generous.  Though he is unhealthy, he always helps others. He helps the other boys in building shelters. When Piggy is denied pig’s meat by Jack, Simon offers Piggy a share from his own portion.  Simon is very kind to the “littluns”

2.  Simon is a brave boy. He is actually braver than all others.  At night Simon alone wanders through the jungle and rescues the littleuns who has been trapped in the jungle.  Similarly when all others including Jack and Ralph were afraid of the beast, Simon alone walked into the forest.  At that moment, Jack and others were running after a pig and killing it. Simon saw them killing the pig and Jack cutting off its head and fixing it on a stick and offering it as a gift to the beast. After Jack and others had gone, Simon walked to the spot and looked at the pig’s head. Flies had covered the head. The title of the novel Lord of the Flies refers to this head of the pig that Jack and other hunters killed.  After killing the pig, Jack cut of its head.  Then he took a stick and the head was hung on sharp point of the stick.  Soon a crowd of flies covered the bleeding head. This is “the Lord of the Flies”. Simon lay on the ground and fell into sleep.  In his sleep Simon saw a dream. Lord of the Flies was talking to him.  The Lord asked him to go back to other boys.  When Simon woke up, it was dark.  He walked through the creepers. After some time he reached the spot where the dead-body of the airman was sitting.  The body was started stinking and flies had covered it.  Simon was the only boy who learned that it was a not a beast but the dead boy of the airman.  He wanted to tell all other boys the truth about the “beast”.  He wanted to tell them that it was not dangerous and they should not be afraid of the “beast”.  Simon climbed down the mountain. He was very tired.

When Simon reached the spot on the beach, the boys were celebrating the “killing of the pig” with a feast and a tribal dance. All the boys were naked and they pasted mud on their bodies and they looked liked dark savages. They were singing the song “ Kill the beast, cut his throat and spill his blood”.  Simon crawled out to them. They boys saw some creature crawling in dark towards them. They thought that the “beast” was coming to kill them. So they all fell upon poor Simon with spears and sticks. He cried out about the dead airman on the hill, but no one listened to him and they killed him. They struck him again and again with their spears and sticks. Suddenly it began to rain and the dead-body of Simon rolled down to the sea.  Thus Simon, the bravest of the boys died a tragic death.  Only Ralph and Piggy knew that Simon was killed.

1.      The Significance of the title Lord of the Flies – Introduction & 2^nd paragraph of the essay.

2.      The Legend of the Beast – Introduction & 2^nd paragraph of the essay.