Lord of the Flies

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   sagetrieb Teacher
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   Simon is innocent in that although he does not have the gift of speech that both Ralph and Jack possess, he understands life more profoundly.  In many ways, he lacks experience, the sort that enable Jack and Ralph to lead, but that lack of experience allows him to see to the truth of life more clearly (he is the first to understand the beastie is fear within them), to put the good of the group beyond his personal fears (he suggests to climb the hill to find out about the parachuter when others are afraid), and to work for the group, such as building shelters when others will not. In a sense, he dies for the sins of the others, too, when he stumbles into their ritual celebration of the hunt, and some critics see him as a sort of Christ figure in this act.  No one is redeemed by his death, however, and the whole thing is an accident, but such innocence and goodness as Simon's could not survive the brutality that dominates the island.

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   Posted by sagetrieb on Wednesday December 5, 2007 at 5:18 PM
   
   

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