Simon Lord Of The Flies Essay

William Shakespeare once said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Despite whatever personal philosophies one might hold, this quote holds true in The Lord of the Flies. When the ensemble of boys crashes on the deserted island, established society is effectively removed from their lives. Once society is removed, the boys fall prey to the so-called “beast,” that is, their own murderous impulses. The true victim of the beast, however, is Simon, who is the first boy murdered on the island. William Golding uses Simon to represent pure goodness and morality to advance the theme that without societal constraints, man’s true nature is revealed. Simon is characterized as a kind, thoughtful individual, which is refreshing

This weakness is first shown when the boys have just arrived on the island, where Jack mentions that “[Simon’s] always throwing a faint… He did it in Gib.; and Addis; and at matins over the precentor” (Golding 20). Golding uses Simon’s weakness to further expand on the notion that the true nature of man is evil and will prey on those they deem different or weak. This thought becomes literal when Simon is killed. “At once the crowd surged after it [Simon], poured down the rock, leapt on the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore… Even in the rain they could see how small of a beast it was, and already its blood was staining the sand” (Golding 153). Simon’s death solidified the boys’ descent towards savagery, and truly exposed the “beast” within. He was the only one who knew the beast was just the evil inside of each of them, and this information, as well as all things left redeemable in their society, died with him. Thereafter, the boys could not even come to terms with what they had done, either denying the act or attempting to justify it. However grotesque, Simon’s death was used to convey the belief that morality and goodness are social constructs and do not survive without society’s protection, as well as the theme that man’s true evil nature will be exposed as soon as established society has faded