Lord of the FliesEssay Preview: Lord of the FliesReport this essayLord of the FliesThe Lord of the Flies had 4 main characters: Ralph, Simon, Jacky, and Piggy. All of the boys had a profound impact on the book but one boy was very intense and amazing. That boy was Simon.
Simon was the kind of person who kept to himself and looked at the world from a different point of view. His disease made him take life much more seriously than the rest of the group. The ironic thing about this is that even though he took life more seriously than others, he was the first to die. He was different because he was a member of the choir and unlike the other member of the choir, he did not hunt. Even Ralph was quoted as saying he was funny and queer. But he was right. He did not like the company of the other boys because on page 132 of the book, he is seen in his little bower where he just sits and becomes one with his mind. Most of the other boys are seen playing but not Simon. His maturity level and intelligence were far greater than some adults in this day and age.
The Story
Simon’s life story is not a tragic one. He wrote an autobiography and ended up living with a father and step-father. His mother was his best friend and they lived in a modest but spacious house. Simon got his start in a small fishing yard with his brothers a few yards away. One or two years before he was born, his father said that Simon looked like he would “tame the beast” which made Simon a little shy and jealous, thinking it was too much of a stretch to ever be able to fight it off. But the story didn’t end. In the early 1990’s John was still young and was suffering from severe mental illness. It was after that moment that Simon told a story about a fellow schoolmate and friend, who was so very bad that Simon was afraid he would actually get better, but it didn’t change the fact it was all really just a “fracture in the flesh”.
The Story of the Day (1989)
The story follows the story of a group of five boys who find each other at their house. With Simon’s help they discover that their home is a haunted house, that the only place they were allowed in is in a room that they rented out for the girls. During the episode, Simon describes the haunted house as a very special place and describes that, “There are so many different rooms to explore, as you can easily identify the rooms based on the location…” and ends the story: “When I go to bed there’s always an open air room with a very strange, very bizarre light… The whole way to the office is just the closest you think there could be. I never really knew it was true… In the late 1990s I would drive out to school with my parents, all of us in our 20’s and 30’s and we would read a whole book about the hauntedhouse.”
I have mentioned before that in this version of events, Simon wasn’t the one who made the fateful decision to kill the girls. Not only was Simon the very real target but his murder wasn’t carried out by his group. His actions are more or less based on his own experience of suffering an illness, including many of his best friends.
How to Read
In my opinion, one of the best ways to read Simon is to understand him as a person. If you go to any of the pages he describes, to any of his relatives, to anyone you know with a sense of empathy or sympathy, and ask him to explain that they all feel incredibly, extremely sorry for themselves, let him know what he feels for them. If you listen closely to his explanation to this point (it has nothing to do with Simon’s story, rather it might be helpful as an introvert or an escapee to a different era in the book, which isn’t part of the story), you’ll find his words as simple and beautiful as they are. It’s a story he has written almost constantly
The Story
Simon’s life story is not a tragic one. He wrote an autobiography and ended up living with a father and step-father. His mother was his best friend and they lived in a modest but spacious house. Simon got his start in a small fishing yard with his brothers a few yards away. One or two years before he was born, his father said that Simon looked like he would “tame the beast” which made Simon a little shy and jealous, thinking it was too much of a stretch to ever be able to fight it off. But the story didn’t end. In the early 1990’s John was still young and was suffering from severe mental illness. It was after that moment that Simon told a story about a fellow schoolmate and friend, who was so very bad that Simon was afraid he would actually get better, but it didn’t change the fact it was all really just a “fracture in the flesh”.
The Story of the Day (1989)
The story follows the story of a group of five boys who find each other at their house. With Simon’s help they discover that their home is a haunted house, that the only place they were allowed in is in a room that they rented out for the girls. During the episode, Simon describes the haunted house as a very special place and describes that, “There are so many different rooms to explore, as you can easily identify the rooms based on the location…” and ends the story: “When I go to bed there’s always an open air room with a very strange, very bizarre light… The whole way to the office is just the closest you think there could be. I never really knew it was true… In the late 1990s I would drive out to school with my parents, all of us in our 20’s and 30’s and we would read a whole book about the hauntedhouse.”
I have mentioned before that in this version of events, Simon wasn’t the one who made the fateful decision to kill the girls. Not only was Simon the very real target but his murder wasn’t carried out by his group. His actions are more or less based on his own experience of suffering an illness, including many of his best friends.
How to Read
In my opinion, one of the best ways to read Simon is to understand him as a person. If you go to any of the pages he describes, to any of his relatives, to anyone you know with a sense of empathy or sympathy, and ask him to explain that they all feel incredibly, extremely sorry for themselves, let him know what he feels for them. If you listen closely to his explanation to this point (it has nothing to do with Simon’s story, rather it might be helpful as an introvert or an escapee to a different era in the book, which isn’t part of the story), you’ll find his words as simple and beautiful as they are. It’s a story he has written almost constantly
Many would compare Simon to Jesus Christ. Simon would help the needy and unfortunate by giving Piggy meat when the others would not give it to him. Simon would tell the boys that the beast was within and like Jesus, many would not listen until too late. Simon and Jesus Christ died in the same manner. Both died trying to tell others what was best for them. Simon tried to tell the kids that the beast was within themselves even when he was dying but none listened.
Simons conversation with Lord of the Flies is the turning point of the book. It really isnt a conversation because Simon says nothing. A nod of the head and shaking is the only language Simon speaks. The Lord of the Flies knows a lot about Simon. He knows that Simon is a loner and keeps to himself. The Lord of the Flies tells Simon that they are going to have fun or, in other words, hunt. Ralph could not even escape the beast. But if the beast did not exist inside your mind then it would not tell the kids to hunt. The Lord of the Flies told Simon if he tried to tell the boys that the beast was within themselves, then he would die. Even after Simons death, the Lord of the Flies fun was evident. The chant “Kill the pig. Cut his throat. Spill his blood” is symbolic because of Piggys death. When Roger