Simon’s Saintliness in Lord of the Flies

吴馨倩

The characters in Lord of the Flies take on symbolic significance and promote the development of plots. What draws my attention most of all is Simon. Simon is distinct from other schoolboys who are sole survivors of an air crash during the evacuation of a war and stranded in an uninhabitable island. While other boys， at the age between five and twelve， incline to savageness step by step without the restraint of civilization and laws， Simon remains kind and keeps figuring out the truth of the Beast which actually is a dead body. Simon， considered as a Christ-figure， illuminates the darkness of humanity. His saintliness is reflected in insisting on goodness， persisting in quest of the truth regardless of threats from the beast， revealing insights into humanity and making sacrifices for mankinds sins.

Simon， like a Saint， keeps on his innate， spiritual human goodness however the circumstance deteriorates. He is the Patron Saint of vulnerable groups and protects the littluns genuinely. For example， he picks up fruits for littluns against starvation and try to “satisfy them”（Golding：71）. Meanwhile， he cannot give up the holy spirits as soon as civilization no longer imposes upon them. Painting the face is a symbol of savage. All boys paint the face except Simon. Just as Afaf Ahmed Hasan Al-Saidi（2012：130）notes： “The degeneration of the boys way of life is also very evident through the symbolic masks. When concealed by masks of clay paint， the hunters， especially Ralph， seem to have new personalities as they forget the taboos of society that once restrained them from giving in to their natural urges.” Compared with other boys depravation， Simon deserves our respect as he keeps on his saintliness.

In addition， Simon undertakes the fate of all Saints to quest for the truth of the Evil despite seductions and threats from the Evil. When other boys are enjoy themselves， such as playing in the water and going on hunting， Simon explores the forest and gets rid of the fears of the Evil.“Im warning you. Im going to get waxy. Dyou see？ Youre not wanted. Understand？ We are going to have fun on this island！ So dont try it on， my poor misguided boy， or else—”（Golding：178）. The menace fails to hinder him. Similarly， Jesus is also tempted by Satan three times in the Wilderness （Matthew 4：1-11）.Simon and Jesus are common in withstanding seductions from the Evil and showing saintliness.

Meanwhile， Simons saintliness is showed in his meditation and acute insight into the humanity. He prefers to hide in “a great mat”（Golding：71） and ponders for a long time， with profound insight into the nature of human beings and communities. “Whats the dirtiest thing there is？” （Golding： 111） “However Simon thought of the beast， there rose before his inward sight the picture of human at once heroic and sick.”（Golding： 128） Although he is inarticulate， his strong intention eventually inspires him to express mankinds essential illness. When children seek their survival and fun， only Simon looks at the humanity.

Last but not least， Simons death demonstrates he is a saint. He sacrifices himself for the mankinds sins. “Evil is the reasons of both the events ‘never ending and the dreadful sense. Only the boys comprehend the truth can they release themselves from the fear of the beast， then they can learn to regulate and restraint evil.” （Ma Wei：42） Therefore， Simon insists the quest of the Evil， which is “the most basic and important step towards salvation.” Consequently， he is killed by his fellows. The salvation ends with the death. “The motif of salvation can find its archetype in the salvation of Jesus Christ.” In Bible， “Jesus is crucified as a sacrifice on the cross” and“his blood gets the ablution of the sins of all human”. （Ma Wei：43） Simon， who alludes to Jesus Christ， dies for humans sins. His death abounds with saintliness as well.

Golding portrays a saint who keeps being kindhearted in an adverse situation， fulfills his duty to find out the truth of the evil， ponders and apprehends humanity and sacrifices for mankind. Additionally， the author takes advantages of Simons quest to tell all people in the world that savage instincts are lurking within all human being. Do not evade them. Instead， control and regulate them.

References：

[1]Golding，William（1954），Lord of the Flies/a novel by William Golding，Faber educational Edition/with an introduction and notes，Faber educational Edition，1973.London：Faber and Faber Ltd.

[2]Afaf Ahmed Hasan Al-Saidi（2012）.Savagery and the heart of darkness in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.Studies in Literature and Language，4（1），129-134.

[3]Ma Wei（2012），On the archetypes in Lord of the Flies.

[4]Matthew（80 and 90CE），The temptation of Christ is detailed in the Gospels of Matthew，Matthew 4：1-11，New International Version.