Biblical Allusions In Lord Of The Flies Research Paper

Lord of the Flies, a novel about good versus evil and the struggle for power to survive, takes place on a deserted island. A group of English boys become stranded after their plane crashes and face many difficult decisions in order to not only survive, but be rescued. Lord of the Flies has many instances that parallel the Bible. William Golding utilizes religious imagery and makes biblical references to Jesus Christ throughout this religious allegory to further illustrate the battle between virtue and sin. Among the boys who have been stranded on the island, Simon emerges early on as the Christ-like figure. He seeks out a quiet, private place to escape to. He often resides in a peaceful "circular hollow", containing butterflies, a symbol

Several prophets have been documented as having epileptic symptoms, including Jesus. Jesus had the ability to receive truths and messages from God; he even prophesied his own death. Just like Jesus's prophetic 'powers', Simon's 'powers' became especially prevalent in a few situations. The first time the whole group of hunters and common biguns went to Castle Rock, Simon tells Ralph "I just think you'll get back alright "(111). Simon has no specific reasoning behind the statement, he just feels Ralph will not sin too much until they become saved. A second example of Simon's prophetic powers occurs when he passes out "inside the mouth" of the pig, foretelling his own death (144). Just prior to Simon's death, he comes stumbling out of the woods, and the circle of savagely chanting boys opens into a "horseshoe"(152). The horseshoe shape represents the opening in the pig's mouth where Simon passes out. This foreshadows Simon's own demise. In essence, the parallels drawn between Simon and Jesus relate to the connection between epilepsy and ones ability to foretell the

Christ died for people's sins, so they could have eternal life with God. Crucifixion was reserved for those who challenged social order. Jesus died in a very painful, public way. He was killed for bringing the truth to the people; claiming that he was King of the Jews. After his death, his followers did not live a life completely free from sin, but they understood why he died and continued following his teachings. Although these people become free, only few stay on the straight and narrow, meaning they realize why he dies and keep following his teachings. The story of Jesus' death relates closely to Simon in the novel. Simon came out of the woods after talking to the Lord of the Flies, the devil, who confirmed Simon's belief that the boys were innately becoming beasts. Since this truth was revealed, Simon went up to the top of the mountain to uncover the fake beast. He found the dead parachuter and went to tell the boys. When he comes out of the woods the boys 'think' that he is coming to get them, because the beast became Simon by shapeshifting. Simon tries to tell the boys the truth about the beast from the mountain, but they savagely tear him to pieces. The boys have just killed their carrier of truth (savior) in a very public, painful way similar to Christ's death. Simon's desire to reveal the truth was evident in his actions leading up to his own death. Simon dies so