Who Is Responsible For Simon's Death In Lord Of The Flies

Imagine a life that is detached from civilization and free from any socially imposed morals. In the story Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of young boys is faced with this situation, and there is a perpetual conflict between the boys who are trying to maintain order and those whose violent instincts take over. Despite Ralph’s efforts to maintain order on the island and get the boys rescued, the boys, including Ralph himself, resort to violent and primitive behavior, and this is what causes Simon’s death. Whereas the other boys on the island lose their moral principles once savagery takes over, Simon retains his morals and does nice things such as helping the younger boys find food. In Lord of the Flies, Simon represents the speck of intrinsic morality and perceptive reasoning on the island, and unlike the other boys, he demonstrates morality as a way of life rather than a socially-imposed concept that is to be quickly lost in the wake of uncertainty.

One example of this occurred when Ralph had plans to build huts for shelter. Ralph was irritated that none of the other boys were helping to build the shelter, but even though the other boys did whatever they wanted to do on a whim, Simon stayed around and helped Ralph with whatever needed to be done. When Ralph was talking to Piggy one day, he said, “‘Simon. He helps’…‘All the rest rushed off. He’s done as much as I have’” (54). Ralph’s statement here specifically shows how the majority of the boys are only self-interested, but Simon is interested in helping the group in any way that he can. Later, Simon also helps some of the little boys find fruit, which no one else had done. These actions from Simon show that he is willing to do good things even though he does not have to. In contrast with the other boys whose moral principles had quickly decayed, Simon continued to do good things because it was in his nature to do