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Post by Campbell Preston on Apr 9, 2020 16:19:48 GMT
In Lord of the Flies, Simon has significant similarities to the Christ figure, especially as read in the Matthew's gospel. Throughout the story thus far, Simon has been a voice of reason and more importantly of comfort. He has held steadfast to his belief that the boys will get off the island, putting Ralph's mind at ease when he was the most stressed. "You'll get back all right, I think so anyway." His calm and confident manner made Ralph feel a little more hopeful and at ease. Simon, while not the chosen leader or head hunter, did take on responsibility as a source of relief and peace among the boys. A parallel can be drawn here to Jesus, as he is not the king, but respected in the community for being kind and hopeful. In Chapter 9, the pig head mocks him as he slowly goes mad on the forest floor, just like the people watching as Jesus was crucified. They mock him when he's at his weakest, but he holds strong to his beliefs. The pig head taunts him, attempting to draw him into his mindset of hopelessness and despair. This is another similarity between Chapters 8 and 9 and the passage from Matthew. Since the boys crashed on the island, it has been a battle between good and evil, and between human and animal. Simon is a representation of the saving qualities of humanity, kindness, goodness, and grace. He shows the good of people, treating everyone, both the Jacks and the Ralphs, with respect. He holds on tight to the humanity he brought with him, refusing to give into the more animal qualities that many of the boys have adopted since crashing onto the island.
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Post by Ella Todd on Apr 9, 2020 17:15:03 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure of this novel in his kindness and message. While he is not the leader, he offers a sense of leadership and direction to the boys, in the way Christ did. Simon is also the only one to talk to the pig head which warns him of what may come from the boy´s savagery and cruel acts of violence. Through this talk, he is able to realize that the monster is not a physical thing, but a thing inside all of them. Simon is also there to comfort the boy´s when they lose hope of going home, and this sense of comfort also relates him to Christ. In chapter 7, Simon tells Ralph twice that, ¨you´ll get back all right¨. This deliberate word choice of ¨you'll” instead of using ¨we¨ foreshadows that Simon will die. William Golding shows that humanity tends to be afraid of things we don't know or understand, and this fear can drive us mad. Humanity is so quick to turn to evil if we believe that we can get rid of what we fear, even when it means sacrificing the good. This is demonstrated through the killing of Simon. Simon comes to the boys bringing news that the beast isn't real but riddled with fear the boys instantly attack him when they first see him. From a distance, he looks almost beast-like, but for the boys, only the slightest resemblance is all they need to attack. They let fear control them as they killed Simon, never letting rational thinking step in, or pausing to consider who it was. Simon was the symbol of good throughout the book, and his death by the hands of his friends shows how powerful evil is when combined with fear, and how that can destroy good in humanity.
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Post by Makenzie Simon on Apr 9, 2020 18:09:23 GMT
Christ and Simon are similar for the fact that they are both gentle and comforting figures who end up dying by their own people. It is said in the text,"You'll get back alright" (Golding 111). This quote exemplifies that he knew he wouldn't make it back. William Golding is showing good, evil, and humanity through Lord of the Flies because Simon represents the good and when humanity is lost, people turn to their savage ways and show their evil side.
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Post by Molly St. George on Apr 9, 2020 18:14:47 GMT
Simon can be seen as the Christ figure in the novel both for his compassion and how he died. Simon displayed a greater capacity for compassion than any of the other boys in his kindness to the littuns and the small comfort he gives Ralph. In addition, he comes to his end in an attempt to deliver good news, just as Christ did. Simon's death was foreshadowed by his words in his attempt to comfort Ralph. He tells Ralph, "You'll get back to where you came from." His exclusion of the word "we" foreshadows his own death. Through Simon, Golding is showing both the internal and external conflict of good and evil. Simon seems to be intrinsically good while greed and violence are seen in the other boys. The power struggles and violence that transpire are a representation of the external conflict between good and evil. Simon's internal conflict is revealed in his "conversation" with the pig head. The head tells him "You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?" (Golding 143). In this Simon's deep fear of being evil is revealed. The pig head is speaking directly to the thing he wishes to hide the most. The pig also speaks to Simon's desire to be liked and accepted by the other boys. It says "You don't want Ralph to think you're batty, do you? You like Ralph a lot, don't you? And Piggy, and Jack?" (Golding 143). In this, Simon serves as a representation of humanity as well. Humans instinctually want to be a part of a group, a family. In modern society, this instinct tends to be most present in our want to be accepted and liked by those around us.
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Post by Quinn Wilson on Apr 9, 2020 20:08:07 GMT
In the book, "Lord of the Flies," Simon represents a Christ character because he is very caring and is always watching out for other people rather than just himself. For example, at the beginning of the book Simon helps Ralph build the huts when no one else will. In addition, in chapter 3, he is being completely selfless, he helps the little one by getting the fruit that they couldn't reach. Also, Simon dies in Lord of the Flies trying to help others, same as Christ in the Bible. Evidence from the book that foreshadowed Simon's death was, "You'll get back from where you can from... you'll get back alright (Golding, 111)." In the text Simon isn't saying that he will make it back from this, rather that Ralph and the others will make it without him. This foreshadows the event in chapter 9 where Simon dies trying to help the others on the island.
William Golding is saying that humanity has the ability to be either good or evil, and that good and evil can been seen in different people in different forms. Golding shows good in Simon, and how even in the worst circumstances Simon was doing his best even though he died from it. In addition in other characters, their evil out weighs their good like the boys who killed Simon even though he was their friends.
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Post by Jazmin Campuzano on Apr 9, 2020 20:59:41 GMT
Simon shares a large number of qualities and attributes with Christ. For example, Simon is sensitive when it comes to the feelings or emotions of other people, like Jesus. Simon takes the time to understand how hopeless Ralph felt due to the ocean that separated them from safety and tries to help him feel less pain. Simon showed compassion towards Ralph when he wasn't sure about returning to civil life. As it was explained in chapter 8, Simon is described as a christ figure since he had a connection to the environment, he possessed a saintly and selfless position and he also met a painful and a death he sacrificed.
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Post by emeli rubel on Apr 9, 2020 22:10:05 GMT
Simon resembles the Christ figure because he us conforting and he is a all in all "good" person with the best intentions. Simon always gave the boys hope and would say that they would eventually make it off the island and survive. The boys beat him to death which shows the similarities of how christ died, killed by their own people. The quote, "You'll get back safe. I think so anyway," (Golding 103), shows that he is comforting Ralph and making him hopefull. But, it also foreshaddows that he would die later on. William Golding says that Simon is a good person that only wants the best for the boys but could be changed into evil and bad. When he interacts with the lord of the flies, he doesn't know if he is good or evil.
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Post by Lucas LaBruzzo on Apr 9, 2020 22:28:42 GMT
Simon is in numerous ways the Christ figure of Lord of the Flies. The easiest aspects to note are Simon’s kindness, wisdom, and prophetic inference of his death by not commenting on if he would escape the island alive. Additionally, Simon holds a great sense of duty. Not only does he help Ralph build the huts, but he remains dissuaded from those trying to put him down. After the Lord of the Flies attempts to persuade Simon to return to the boys, halting Simon’s assent to the top of the mountain to find out what the beast is, Simon only says “‘What else is there to do?’” (Golding, 204) and continues forward unabated. Personally, this reminds me of the Temptation of Christ, and how Christ refused each temptation from Satan; continuing on unwavered.
Through Simon’s death, William Golding is telling the reader that while the unknown is one of man’s greatest fears, it is not always evil. Simon is killed because, in the moment, nobody knew it was Simon. Instead, it was some unknown creature; likely to be the supposed beast the boys are all terrified of whom harbors malicious intent. Yet, the reader knows it was Simon; the kindest person on the island, arriving to dispel fears of the beast for good. In the face of fear, chiefly in fear of the unknown, one will lash out at anything perceived to be a threat; regardless of its good or evil intent. Fear inherent in man. Yet it is wrong to be so hostile to anything and everything just because one does not understand it. It’s extremely ironic how Simon, the most compassionate child who ascended the mountain to face fear, was ultimately killed out of cursory fear by others.
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Post by Marin McKinney on Apr 9, 2020 23:07:13 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure of the novel because of his personality and how much he cares for the others on the island. When Ralph was hopeless and put down because he didn't believe he would ever make it home, Simon would be there to lift his spirits and comfort him. This is similar to Christ because he was always doing good for other people and many looked up to him. Jesus also had his 12 apostles who followed him and helped spread Gods words, similar to how the boys on the island listened to Simon and followed him. One example in the book of Simon acting like Christ is when the pig head talks to him, telling him that he made a simple mistake and he should go back to listening to the others, just like Christ had conversations with God, and was told by the king to stop spreading Gods words. "Run away, said the head silently, go back to the others. It was a joke really-why should you bother? You were just wrong, that's all." (pg 137, Golding) Another example is how Simon sacrificed himself for the others. He went out looking for the beast, thinking that if he was going to be killed it would be by the mysterious terror on the mountain, not by his friends down on the beach. "The beast was on it's knees in the center, its arms folded over its face. It was crying out against the abominable noise, something about a body on the hill." (pg 152, Golding) This piece from the text shows how Simon was called a beast and was mistreated, nearly the same as to what happened to Jesus. William Golding is showing that humans have all of these traits, good, evil, and humanity, it's just which ones you decide to portray. Simon shows mostly the good in him, where as others, like Jack, show evil by focusing on killing the "beast".
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Post by Kat Garcia on Apr 9, 2020 23:17:02 GMT
In Lord of the Flies, the character Simon represents Christ. Simon was the embodiment of kindness, empathy, and the only pure heart on the island. He listened to people, helped them, and tried to comfort/always be kind to them, even Piggy. A significant scene that represents Christ is at the end of Chapter 3 when Simon leads to littluns into the forests and picks the best fruit for them. This mirrors a part in the bible when Jesus feeds thousands of hungry people with the choicest of food. In addition, Simon seems to be the only one that understands the beasts true form. He tries to communicate his thoughts across when he tells them ‘What I mean is…maybe [the beast’s] only us” (Golding 89). His efforts shatter as the other boys only laugh at him, unable to comprehend his mature revelation. This is also similar to Jesus as he tries to make his points come across but is branded as a fraud. The death of Simon was foreshadowed when he was trying to comfort Ralph. As they stare into the ocean Simon reassures Ralph in saying that "You'll get back to where you came from" (Golding 111). He speaks nothing of himself as if he knows that good cannot last so long in an evil place. He sees his fate sealed and his death is a reminder of the evil in the world. Golding uses Simon to depict good and evil. Simon is the one who stumbles upon the evil "Lord of the Flies" and a standoff between good and evil occurs. Simon's initial thoughts are confirmed as the head speaks to him and says "There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast...Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill...I'm part of you" (Golding 143). The only pure goodness on the island is surrounded by evil and the Lord of the Flies tries to tempt him to join him as he is the only option left. The pig tells Simon to go join the others and go off and play with them, but he instead fights to expose the so-called Beast for what it really was, a mere parachuter. He refuses to join the evil so instead, he is conquered by it.
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Post by Devon Garls on Apr 9, 2020 23:49:17 GMT
Golding uses the character of Simon to represent Christ in many ways. Simon's all-around "good" nature, his kindness with the littluns, his heart that wishes to please everyone around him. This can be compared with the motive that Christ spreads, being nice to those you meet and treating everyone with respect. Simon acts as the moral leader for the group, giving guidance to Ralph and Jack that would lead to them being more liked, well-respected leaders. The most obvious connection between Simon and Christ is the way in which they die, both being killed by their own people because they disagreed with what he believed in. Simon was killed for being too weak (a threat to their "manly" society), Jesus died because he was a threat to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. After seeing Ralph in despair, Simon tells him, "You'll get back to where you came from... I just think you'll get back all right." (103 Golding). This rather ominous quote leaves Ralph as well as the reader confused, pondering over how Simon knows this. However, the important thing is to realize that Simon never says we, he only refers to Ralph. He believes that Ralph will get back because Ralph has the character and the will to get off the island, but he doesn't believe that he, himself, will get off the island due to his passive nature. He seems to foreshadow his own death in this one quote. Golding uses this book to say any things about good, evil, and humanity. Golding clearly shows the lines between what he thinks is evil (Jack, Roger) and good (Ralph, Simon). Golding seems to tell the reader that Ralph and his democratic leadership along with Simon's kindheartedness and caring personality is what is "good", while Jack's savagery and antagonism is what is "bad". However, humanity can not always be good. Golding uses the Lord of The Flies to describe how society works with both good and bad people, with Jack being one of the most powerful people in the society. However much we want society to be filled with good people, that can not be the case. Bad people can always gain power through violence, coercion, and a number of other ways. Golding uses his traditional view of good and bad as a way to describe how humanity can not be completely good, there will always be bad people that want to take down the good, with Jack wanting to kill Simon, the Romans wanting to kill Christ.
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Post by Andrew Weiland on Apr 10, 2020 2:52:17 GMT
Simon plays the role of the Christ figure throughout the book. Simon is always the one who remains positive and supportive at all times throughout the book. In the hardest times Simon is still the one who comforts all the boys. One big characteristic about Christ is that he got killed; crucified by his own people. The death of Simon is foreshadowed in the book when Simon says to Ralph, "You'll get back alright, I think so anyway."(Golding 111). In the text Simon chooses good among all else and says that the only evil lies within the kids themselves. In return for this Simon is killed.
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Post by Chloe Heath on Apr 10, 2020 2:52:43 GMT
In Lord of the Flies, Simon represents Jesus Christ. Simon was killed when he was trying to deliver the truth, which is similar to Jesus. After a feast, the boys acted out the ritual of killing a pig. They became so absorbed in the chanting they believed that Simon coming back from the forest was the beast. Simon was in the forest because he was brave enough to face the beast he knew didn't exist. He had come back to tell the boys the beast was a dead parachutist. Simon's death was foreshadowed when he told Ralph,"You'll get back all right"(Golding 111). Simon also shows a deep understanding of good, evil and humanity. He was the only member of the choir that didn't become a hunter. Simon was faced with the beast inside of him while looking at a pig's head on a stick. Simon chose to block out his evil nature and climb the mountain to reveal the beast wasn't real. Ultimately through Simon's death, Golding represents evil and savage animal instincts overpowering good and humanity.
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Post by Daniel Nguyen on Apr 10, 2020 3:28:38 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure of LOTF. This is shown through his actions like when he encourages Ralph and other boys that they can make it off the island. He also shows it through his kind nature. Like Jesus Christ, Simon was misunderstood and a very wise person. Simon and Jesus died due to similar situations, to the hands of their own people. Evidence from the text that foreshadows this is when Simon says, "You'll get back alright." (Golding 111). Simon knew that he wouldn't make it off the island which shows that he knew what would happen, which is something that a prophet does. And Jesus was a prophet, he knew that he would be betrayed and would eventually die for his people. William Golding is saying that Simon represents the good and peace of humanity, but that good and peace is eventually destroyed and evil is erupted. Simon showed the good of the boys on the island, but the boys killed him out of fear while evil gradually took over.
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Post by Mira Metter on Apr 10, 2020 4:25:46 GMT
Simon is the Christ figure in the book because he is kind and compassionate towards the other boys and unlike Ralph, Jack and many other young men, he does not succumb to the urge to be savage and violent. He selflessly aids the other boys and is innocent in that he always assumes the best in everybody. Golding also hints that Simon is the Christ figure by foreshadowing that he is going to die in a conversation that Simon has with Ralph where he says "You'll get back to where you came from... you'll get back alright" which is shows that Simon knows that he will not make it off the island and die in a similar way to Christ. Through Simon's character, Golding is trying to say that often in society it is the nicest, most compassionate people that get taken advantage of, disregarded and hurt.
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