Through vivid imagery in chapter 9, Golding paints a scene that uses Simon's death to patently resemble the crucifixion of Christ. The boys on the island are now in dire need of a Christ like character to guide them. To be a “Christ figure” a character must attain and exemplify the traits and values possessed by the Biblical Christ. Although Simon portrays qualities that a Christ figure needs to succeed, he completely fails as evident in his brutal but ineffective crucifixion and his fruitless attempt at martyrdom.
Simon is arguable the most courageous and selfless character that we have seen so far, and in chapter 9 he once again shows that he cares greatly for the overall well being of the boys. Alone, Simon makes the daunting journey to
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The brutal termination of Simon draws many similarities to the crucifixion of Christ. As Simon returns to tell the boys the good news of this mythical beast being just that of a myth, he is mistaken for the beast itself and horrifically killed. Simon has failed in bringing peace to the boys. Simon's death or “crucifixion” is not successful like that of Christs, and proves to be ineffective. The crucifixion of Christ lead to a whole religion being born, whereas the death of Simon leads to nothing but his body being taken away to rot at sea. Simon died for nothing, the boys chances of survival were not helped in any way, demonstrating why he has failed as a Christ …show more content…
The ineffective crucifixion and attempt at martyrdom are evidence of his great failure. Simon's act of cutting the parachutist free leads to the corpse resembling the beast in flight. The body then travels deep into the ocean while simultaneously driving the idea of the “beast” deeper into the mind of the boys. Simon also brings out the most primitive side of the boys while they commit murder for the first time. The boys will kill a human on the island again, and will continue to show how Simon was unsuccessful at being a Christ figure on the