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123 essays on character analysis
123 essays on character analysis
Morality in literature
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A group of kids got stuck on an island after their plane got shot down and they all have many different personalities. Being stuck on an island usually brings out the worst of people.But, there were two characters in novel, “The Lord of The Flies” that had good morals. These two characters were Ralph and Simon. Ralph and Simon weren’t intimidated by not having any adults around, instead, they tried to bring out the best of themselves and not take part in any horseplay the rest of the boys did. Both Ralph and Simon did not think the ideas of Jack and the rest of the children were very good because their ideas involved bad choices and horseplay. In the novel, Golding writes, “Piggy urges Ralph to blow the conch shell and summon the boys back …show more content…
In the novel Golding writes, “Simon looks around to make sure that he is alone, then he sits down to take in the scene, marveling at the abundance and beauty of life that surrounds him” ( ). In this quote, it is telling us that Simon is try to find the good in being alone on the island. This quote doesn’t say it, but Ralph was there with him. Being all alone on an island affected everybody except for Ralph and Simon. Ralph and simon that the rest of the kids horesplay was a bad idea. In the novel Golding writes, “Shouting that he is the beast, the boys descend upon Simon and start to tear him apart with their bare hands and teeth. Simon tries desperately to explain what has happened and to remind them of who he is, but he trips and plunges over the rocks onto the beach. The boys fall on him and violently kill him” ( ). This just goes to show us that the other boys’ horseplay and beliefs lead to bad things. Ralph did not take part in this act because he knew what was wrong. In conclusion, Ralph and Simon were the two characters that were different from the rest. They were different in a good way. This just goes to show you that there is always good in whatever you do and wherever you are, you just need to express
While Jack and Ralph represent the distinct polarization between civilization and savagery. Simon is separated from both of these dimensions. Simon represents built-in goodness. The other boys who hold on to their sense of morality only do so because society has conditioned and trained them to act in a certain way. They do not have an innate sense of morality. Unlike the other boys on the island, Simon does not act morally because an external force has compelled him to do so, instead he finds value in performing good actions.
These boys represent good intentions in the novel, but in our existence, we are fortunate to have incredible citizens who are comparable to the characters. Ralph symbolizes our parents, they always have the best intentions for the children they have made although, we may not appreciate the little things they do for us such as purchase food for our stomachs , provide a roof over our heads and love us unconditionally. Simon is represented through people who aid others because it is from the goodness of their
-Simon continues to show his good nature by trying to cheer Ralph up, which is a continual thing; I believe that Simon is meant to represent peace and frankly a bit of a Christ figure, as he is the epitome of nice, and his place in the forest is almost spiritual.
Simon was the observant character, the quiet philosopher. He was often alone, sometimes by his own choice, and he liked to wander into the peaceful jungle. He sincerely cared about the other boys, sometimes helping the young ones to fetch fruit, yet "Simon turned away from them and went where the just perceptible path led him. Soon high jungle closed in" (56). He loved solitude and yet felt loneliness; he was alien to the other boys. The boys did not think anyone would be stupid enough to go into the jungle by night: "The assembly grinned at the thought of going out into the darkness. Then Simon stood up and Ralph looked at him in astonishment" (85). Many of the boys even thought he was "batty" because he left the group to spend time alone.
When the boys had split the majority had joined jack but the most loyal stayed and helped Ralph. One of the boys who had stayed with Ralph was Simon. He had helped Ralph throughout the story and became his loyal partner. Simon is a special character in the story. He realizes
When Ralph sees the naval officer that appears on the island to save them, he realizes that he will return to civilization. The shock causes him to reflect on what has happened. The rescue does not produce joy; instead he feels despair at what he has been through. He is awakened to the reality that he will never be the same. He has lost his innocence and learned about the evil that lurks within himself and all men through his experiences on the island. Ralph’s revelation to his loss of innocence and societal order among the boys is exemplified through the collapse of the attempted Democratic government, the killing of the pig, and the death of Piggy and Simon.
Simon shows the most purity and compassion as problems increase through the boys as he tries to not let any of the causes affect him. In Lord of the Flies, Simon represents the goodness of the island as he helps the littluns, supports the boys and does everything in his power to make the best of the situation on the island. The lack of civilization and human goodness leads the young children to evils and a bad environment that they have never faced. Simon, a “skinny, vivid boy,” pg. 113. 24)” is a member of Jack’s choir but soon leaves his tribe and joins Ralph because he is not able to deal with the cruel leadership.
Simon is not the only one to demonstrate selflessness in the book. Ralph is the shows his kindness and goodness at the very beginning of the book. As leader, he desires for all of the boys to be safely rescued and for them to be taken care of. "If this isn't an island we might get rescued straight away…everyone must stay around here and wait and not go away." (p. 22) He starts out with the best intentions in mind, and wants to have the best for everyone. As the novel continues, and evil intensifies, Ralph won't participate in the wickedness of others. He keeps away from evil by having quiet times by himself and keeping his goal, to be rescued, in front of himself.
Ralph’s power at the beginning is secure but as the group succumbs to their savage instincts, Ralph’s influence declines as Jack’s rises. This is due mainly to the cruelty and violence that goes on in the story. This cruelty reveals that Ralph’s commitment to civilization and being rescued is so strong that he will not allow himself to change his morals and become cruel like the others. The cruelty in this novel also shows that Ralph is a very intelligent character. His intelligence can be proven because there was a point in the novel when he hunts a boar for the first time and he experiences the thrill of bloodlust. He also attends one of Jack’s feast where he is swept away by the frenzy and participates in the killing of Simon. This is a very tragic moment for Ralph because this is when he realizes the evil that lives within himself and every human being. It is the cruel acts that happen in this novel that reveals Ralph’s character of being intelligent and being able to think deeply about human experiences. He even weeps when getting saved because of his knowledge about the human capacity for
Ralph was amongst the first few characters mentioned in the story and he quickly takes to the role of gathering the surviving boys by calling out to all that are in the area. He believes in leading with a democratic style, which gives people freedom of opinion, as well as equality to all group members. This is seen as Ralph uses Piggy’s idea for the conch to gathers the boys together in order to
He keeps the boys in pretty good order at the meeting by making a rule that they can only speak if they have the conch. Ralph knows that the little ones are afraid and they need shelter to feel more secure. They work together for a while, but as the time goes on, the smaller boys want to go play. They slowly lose all their help until Simon and Ralph are the only ones left to work on them. Ralph knows that this is a necessity and keeps bringing it up at the meetings.
In Lord of the Flies, many key characters and symbols represent the almost civilized impulse. Some examples are Ralph, Piggy, and the ‘conch shell’ the boys use to call meetings. These are signs of order and control in a place full of fear and mental pressure. Simon is an example of how humans slowly evolve and adjust to their surroundings because he takes control of the situation. Simon acts morally on the island, he behaves kindly to the younger children, and he is the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies.
In the end, even though he failed to inform the other boys of it, Simon through his use of spiritual power was able to recognize the truth. He stood strong against evil even though it consumed the island after his death. People can look to him as an example of how to act in real life. And to be honest, Simon is an important character to Lord of the Flies by William Golding, not just for all this, but because he is what every person should wish to be. In the book the others bully him because they do not quite understand him, but Simon in all reality is a role model for the world. Don’t you think that the world would be a much better place, if we all tried to act a little bit like Simon?
Towards the middle of Simon's stay on the island, he started to realize that he truly was different from the others. Every time he tried to talk to the other children, his 'effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless to his seat.';(89) Just when he thought he had been accepted he embarrassed himself again, 'When he bashed into a tree Ralph looked sideways impatiently and Robert sniggered.';(104) They were getting restless with his behavior.
Ralph is shown as an overall good character who leads the boys in times of desperate measures. Goulding chooses to depict Ralph as a good character though these actions. Rarely does Golding show the evil side of Ralph. We see him building shelters for the kids on the island. He barely even knows these kids and is helping them while they lounge and eat Golding also shows him as the leader of the group who helps create order and maintain leadership. At a meeting of the boys Ralph suggested, “‘give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking”’ (Golding 50). These ground rules help to keep order and show Ralph is doing what he can to help the boys get off the island. As a meeting was taking place Ralph suggests, “‘A fire. Make a fire”’ (Golding 38). This is what kept the idea of survival in his eyes lit. He was intrigued by the idea; which kept a sense of survival close. Golding mainly reveals the good in Ralph which is why there are so many actions to support his moral value. He can also be viewed as evil through few of his actions. (Oldsey)