"[Simon saw] the picture of a human at once heroic and sick" ― Chapter 6
Simon is a major character from William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
Simon is among one of the young boys stranded on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. He is more different than the others as he enjoys the peace around him, and is also the most bravest one of the group. But he would find himself in danger when the "beast" starts coming around. He symbolizes spiritual goodness and belief.
Description[]
Simon is a peculiar boy among the survivors on the Island. While most of the boys tend to be barbaric, wild and afraid, Simon is not like them. He instead inherits a kind of spiritual goodness that is connected to nature and against Jack's savagery. He is often seen as a symbol possibly of Jesus Christ and has strong beliefs in the good, not about the bad. He doesn't believe the beast is real and he is the only one who actually witnesses the Lord of the Flies speaking to him and recognizes the evil that is in all the boys. It also makes sense due to the fact that his name, Simon, is a Biblical name and translates to "he has heard".
Simon is also seen to be the lone wolf of the boys. He doesn't swim, play on the beach, or go hunting. He prefers to either help Ralph build a civilization or goes to a quiet area on the island that has a beautiful scenery. When Simon is in his special spot, he is pulled away from the harsh reality and into a more tranquil, serene area where he can embrace nature's beauty and to be calm and happy.
After Simon witnesses the real beast, he hoped that everyone will understand him if he reports them what he had just seen, and believes he had fulfilled his quest of revelation. But he never did, as he ended up being killed by the boys, because either they are not ready to understand revelation or they are unable to. After Simon's demise, his beliefs also went with him, since he was gone with the most biggest secret that was indirectly responsible for the main conflict.
Storyline[]
Arrival on the Island[]
Simon is one of the survivors of the plane collision on the Island. He is a member of Jack's choirboys and was one of the many boys who appeared onto the beach after Ralph blows the conch, as well as being part in taking names and voting for a leader. He unexpectedly faints when he and the other choirboys arrive on the beach, even as Ralph was voted chief.
Afterwards, Simon was chosen alongside Jack and Ralph to explore the island and to get to know their surroundings. They enjoy exploring the island for the first time, with one of them even pushing a boulder off a cliff for their own amusement. They climb up onto a mountainous peak and have a beautiful view of the ocean from where they are. Simon and the others return back to the beach to remind the others where they are.
He was among the group listening to Ralph discuss about the rules and one of the youngest boys (who later disappears suddenly afterwards) talking about a "beastie" lurking around the island.
Life on the Island[]
Several weeks pass. Simon assists Ralph as he tries to build huts for the other boys. He is the only one helping the leader because the hunters are hunting and the boys are playing and swimming in the lagoon. During an argument between Ralph and Jack about the island's survival instincts, Simon tries to settle things by telling them about the littluns' fear of the beastie and thinks the island could be bad, but they keep on arguing.
Shortly after Ralph and Jack's fight, Simon retreats deep into the forest. He offers a couple of boys some fruit they were trying to get, and he spots a quiet, serene spot filled with butterflies, flowers and birds surrounded by creeper vines. He looks around to make sure he is alone before he sneaks in and makes himself comfortable in the spiritual relaxation of nature.
He continues to adjust his life on the island. He is one of the fewer boys not part in the conflict between Ralph and Jack. After Jack hunts and cooks a pig and refuses to share any of the meat to Piggy, Simon shares some of his own to the fat boy. Simon was part of the meeting organized by Ralph, who informs the boys about not working together to build a civilized society. When they discuss about the beast, Simon claims that he was walking in the jungle at the time when one of the boys Phil said he had a nightmare where he saw the beast. When he is given a turn to hold the conch, Simon says that all the boys themselves are the beast, while Piggy doesn't take him seriously and the boys think the beast is a ghost.
The meeting goes out of control when Jack grabs the conch and declares that he will hunt the beast himself. All the boys join him in the hunt, but only Simon, Piggy and Ralph stayed behind. They now wish they had adults with them.
The Beast[]
Simon and the other boys were fast asleep when an aeroplane battle raged in the sky and a dead parachutist's body lands in the jungle vines below. Early the next morning, another meeting was called and Simon watched and listened as Jack rants about wanting to be a leader and not using the conch shell. He calls for a hunt to kill the beast immediately.
Simon was among the boys who joins the hunt with Ralph, mainly because he wanted to be accepted. But as they searched around and found nothing, Simon sits with Ralph on a hill. When the chief sees that the island is unescapable, Simon assures him that they will be found and rescued. When it becomes dark, Simon was the only one who volunteers to go back to the beach to inform Piggy that the boys won't be returning tonight. The next day, he again takes part in the meeting arranged by Jack, who wants Ralph to be removed from power. Simon and the other boys don't vote for Jack, causing him to storm off.
Meeting The Lord of the Flies/Death[]
As the meeting continues, Simon suggests they go up the mountain to continue searching. But he ends up helping the others build a new signal fire on the beach. Afterwards, Simon sneaks back into the forest and goes back to his favourite quiet spot and begins to relax, despite being thirsty. He then spots the pig's severed bloody head left by the hunters, now swarming with flies.
Simon is so thirsty and exhausted, that he hallucinates. He sees the head speaking to him, dubbed "The Lord of the Flies". The head laughs at him, saying that he is the beast, and is not something the boys can hunt and kill because he lives in all of their hearts. He even comments that he will "have fun" with Simon on the island. He passes out in terror and has a seizure.
When Simon wakes up, the air is dark and humid. He staggers up towards the mountain and sees the body's parachute flapping up and down from the wind and that he realizes that it had been mistaken at the beast the whole time. Simon vomits in disgust when he sees the corpse, but he untangles the vines holding the body in place and decides to report it to the others.
Meanwhile, Jack and his hunters are hosting a feast, and even Ralph and Piggy attend. It starts to rain as Simon approaches the tribe. He calls out to them about the dead parachutist; but the boys, already in a frenzied mood, don't recognize him and think he is the beast. Simon is surrounded by everyone and is viciously attacked and killed by the boys with their bare teeth and hands. As the rain pours down, Simon's body is thrown into the ocean and is washed away surrounded by bright, glowing fish.
Personalities/Appearance[]
Simon is the most quiet and calm of the boys. He often doesn't do a lot of talking and would prefer to keep to himself. He never loses his temper or argues with the others, such as when Jack and Ralph were arguing over the issues of their island, Simon had tried to settle down their fight by explaining about the littluns' fear of the beast. But no matter how hard he had tried, not even Simon's calmness could help the boys with their intense fear and chaos. He is also rather reclusive, as he prefers to be alone at his favourite quiet spot in the jungle than playing or swimming, since it gave him a sense of freedom from chaos and savagery. Like all the other boys, Simon is mysterious since nothing is known of his backstory prior to be stranded on the island.
He is kind and helpful to the others, like when he offers some meat during a tribal feast hosted by Jack and offering some fruit to some littluns when they can't reach the tree. When Ralph is struggling to build shelters on the beach, only Simon was helping him instead of playing and swimming with the other boys. He is also loyal to his chief and when the group finds themselves in peril from the beast, he would come up with his own solutions of what he thinks is true, such as when he believes that everyone could be the beast. He is smart in some of the decisions and ideas he makes.
Simon is the only boy on the island who is brave. He is not afraid of the savagery the boys experience first-hand, and when the meeting erupts into chaos when the beast is brought up, Simon does not scream or panic. He discovered the parachute's body himself, and instead of fleeing in terror, he simply unties the vines it is tangled in and attempts to report it to the tribe with confidence instead of being afraid.
Relationships[]
Ralph- Simon's chief and closest ally. He is the only schoolboy who supports Ralph in maintaining order and civilization, and would comfort him with positive thoughts when Ralph gets frustrated.
Piggy- One of the schoolboys. Simon is usually kind and thoughtful to him, which included offering him food during a feast and defending him when Piggy is being bullied.
Jack- The leader of the hunters. Simon mostly disapproves of Jack's arrogance and ways; even his acts of savagery make Simon uneasy.