Simon As A Christ Figure In Lord Of The Flies Essay

As "…Simon's dead body moved out toward the open sea", the true essence of his stature as a literary Christ figure in William Golding's perspective-altering Lord of the Flies is challenged as either a success or a failure in bringing salvation to the malicious boys (154). Salvation is defined as redemption from the penalty of sins committed; therefore, once the erstwhile innocent boys commit the satanic sin of murder, there is no question Simon has been predestined to liberate them from their misdeeds. In order to bring salvation, he is foreordained to be crucified; however, Golding, rather than explicitly state, wants the reader to see that Simon, a literary Christ figure, succeeds in bringing deliverance through the chaos initiated by his

Simon being both the literal and figurative carpenter on the island, helps Ralph to build shelters solely because of his selflessness and altruistic concern for others' welfare; these characteristics are also found in another eminent carpenter who had a magnanimous devotion to serving others. As Simon's Christ-like characteristics exude into the other boys' lives, he, again, is the only boy to help feed the hungry littleluns (56). Paralleling with Jesus' bread and fish parable found in the Bible, Simon's, like Jesus', nurturing and caring qualities have the only intention of enriching someone else's life. The final event that confirms Simon is the literary Christ figure in Lord of the Flies occurs when he is killed by the boys (154). Even from the beginning of the novel, it is predestined that Simon would be killed such as it was predestined that Jesus would be crucified from his beginning. Likewise, each individuals' death is intended to bring deliverance of the sins of other

The boys no longer view murder as a crime against any civilized morals or rules; murder is accepted among them and helps to establish social order through power. Because Roger goes unpunished, a new standard is created that in order to survive one has to kill anyone or anything that poses as a threat. As civilization continues to on a down-spiral path, the next quintessential example of savagery occurs when Jack turns Ralph into the scapegoat of the island and calls for a manhunt to kill him (198). The boys are hunting boys to the point of murder and have deteriorated from anything civilized thus in a state of chaos. In the manhunt to kill Ralph, Jack succeeds in setting the island ablaze in an attempt to "smoke out" Ralph (197). At this point, rational thinking has been abolished and all efforts to kill the enemy are put in full force. As the chaos created by Simon's death reaches its extremes, the reader assumes his death fails in bringing salvation to the boys; however, Golding discretely establishes Simon's success in saving Ralph from joining the Jack's evil