How is Simon killed in Lord of the Flies?
A teacher for eight years, she has a master's degree in curriculum and assessment.
People are familiar with the crucifixion of Jesus.He was put to death for spreading the word of God.While trying to spread knowledge to the other boys on the island, the character of Simon is put to death in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.His death calls attention to many of the symbolic messages in the book.
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Simon's death can't be fully analyzed without knowing his journey in Chapter 8.Jack and the hunters offer a pig's head on a stick.Simon is alone with the pig's head and talking to it.
The beast claims to be a part of Simon and can't be killed.He warns Simon that if he becomes angry they will play and have fun on the island.Simon passes out.Simon knows that the beast is representative of the evil of human nature and that he represents our desire for immediate gratification.Immediate gratification is fun and food for the boys.
Simon begins his journey up the mountain in Chapter 9.There is a figure of a dead soldier in the woods.Simon starts to descend to spread the news after he vomits in the scene.The flies surround the body.There were flies around the Lord of the Flies.
Simon struggles down the mountain.The flies look like they represent the spirit of the beast.They surround bothbeasts that he encounters on the mountain, and they swarm his face before he decides to share his news with the other boys; this almost resembles a warning of his impending death.
After deciding not to attend Jack's feast, Piggy stated that they should because they need to make sure that nothing bad happens.The significance of the beast to the other boys is shown in the conversation between Jack and Ralph after the feast.
Jack is a dictator who uses fear to control his tribe.The following quotation states that I gave you food and my hunters will protect you from the beast.Jack's leadership is ensured by the existence of the beast.Jack doesn't understand the power of the conch shell, a symbol of civilization.The tribe doesn't care about the fire, the children's only means of rescue.Jack's tribe has lost their humanity and are no longer concerned with being rescued.
There are no shelters on Jack's side of the island for the impending storm.Jack distracts the boys by beginning a tribal dance when he sees them pondering this point.The dance is frightening and primitive.Roger is playing the beast in the center of the ring.The animalistic nature of the dance is pointed out in the narration.The boys are dancing and Simon is in the ring.He was beaten to death and left on the shore.
The true identity of the beast was brought to the boys by Simon's death.Jack's rule may have ended if he had been allowed to be heard.Jack and his followers are not the figure in the mountaintop.The dead soldier is taken away by the storm.
'..The boys rushed screaming into the darkness after it sank.The figure was bumped over the reef and out to sea by the parachute.
The beast and the person that has the truth about it are swept out to sea as the boys flee in fear.The beast will live on after this event has taken place.
An allegory is a story that is meant to comment on society.Simon's death is seen as a representation of Jesus Christ.The Lord of the Flies warned Simon that he would die if he shared the truth about human evil with the others.He goes down to share the news with the other boys despite the warning and is killed for it.
Simon's connection to nature and his nurturing personality are proof of the allegory.He feeds the littluns by giving them fruit and vegetables that he has found around the island.
We believe that Simon is a Christ-like figure because of the descriptions in the chapter.A heavy rainstorm begins after he has died.On the day that Jesus is crucified, the skies are dark.The water rose farther and made Simon's hair bright.The sea has given Simon a halo.Simon could have saved the children's lives, but he was crucified before he could give them the information.
In The Lord of the Flies, Simon learns that the children on the island fear a dead paratrooper and his parachute.He is murdered by the other boys when he tries to impress them with his new knowledge.This act strengthens Jack's hold on the group and makes him essentially a dictator who uses fear and coercion to control his tribe, and has all but relinquished any notion that being rescued is important, as evidenced by his ignorance toward tending the fire.The children follow him for protection.
Jack and his followers have placed a rotting pig's head on a spike to represent the innate evil in humans.Simon's death could be seen as an example of Jesus Christ being killed for his knowledge of the true nature of 'the Beast'.If Simon shares his knowledge, the Lord of the Flies warns him of his fate.
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