Simon consistently expresses concern for the more helpless boys. This is shown when the Littluns follow him, and he picks choice fruit for them from spots they can't reach. In the book, Simon is characterized as a saint.
Simon wants to find his destiny “ I think God made me the way I am for a reason.” ~ Simon Birch. Later in the story Simon finds his destiny,Saving kids from a sinking school bus which had crashed into a freezing cold lake. Simon had an ability to talk to kids and have them listen with no distractions because of his small stature.
Simon was always an outsider and their is lots of evidence that hints Simon is a Christ like figure. He helped those in need, and was killed by his own community. He even grew his hair out longer than the other boys. The author writes, “Here the littluns who had run after him caught up with him… Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands.”(pg.56).
He more or less just wanders around the jungle, does his duties at camp, and listens to Ralph. While not bad practices, it does lead to his ultimate demise. Due to the fact, he is always in the jungle, the other boys believe there is a beast on the island. The boys believe this beast haunts them at night, however, Simon’s thoughts lead him to believe there is no beast. Simon proclaims, “maybe there is a beast” (Golding 89) speaking with questioning and unsurety.
These instances changed Simon into more of a leader which helped in the end. In the scene where the bus crashed into the water, Simon took leadership and risked his life to save the others. Simon got this leadership from his friendship with the
Simon was one of the only boys who actually showed moral decency on the island. While the rest of the older boys are mean to the littluns on the island, for instance they stomp on a sand castle the littluns have built. Roger even throws stones at one of the boys. Simon on the other hand actually helps the littluns. Like when he helped them pick their fruit off the trees, because they couldn't reach.
Golding establishes Simon’s presence as a religious and spiritual figure early on in the novel not only by his continuous journeys to places of meditation.but also in how the other characters perceive him to be. Simon is physically frail (as shown in his fainting spells) deeply spiritual, compassionate, non-violent, and in harmony with the natural world (like many religious figures tend to be). Being one of the older boys, he garners respect from the littluns and helps them with activities like picking fruits. One quote that really stood out is how Ralph described Simon when he first got a good look at him. His eyes especially stood out to Ralph.
Simon being ridiculed shows the situations Christ went through day by day. As, Simon repeatedly tries to speak his mind throughout the novel, his ideas were always turned down or completely ignored. In addition, he also has his own hide out or what could be called a sanctuary in the jungle. He keeps this a secret and goes to it alone at night. This shows his isolation not only physically but mentally from the others boys.
He crawls inside this space and peers out at the clearing. He watches the birds and butterflies as evening approaches. Then he sits back in the small space and stays there by himself as night falls, just thinking. Then the book goes on in great description about the surroundings and what Simon sees. By the great detail, we can see the unique part of Simon.
Simon shows his displeasure to whoever destroyed the huts because he has the wisdom knowing that they are destroying the innocence left in them. This adds to the theme of the loss of innocence in a way that the quote shows that the boys are starting to slowly move into a darker side of themselves giving Simon a character that highlights his innocence for the theme of the story; where the others lack the capability to see the reality of themselves because they are blinded by the chaos in them.||| Furthermore, through the way that Simon shows his maturity, he also shows his care and sympathy for others due to his roles as the sage archetype, who are commonly wise and understanding. Simon is often seen empathizing and helping others, thus he is seen helping the little ones pick fruits that they could not reach, “Thus amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for them the fruits they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up the foliage, passed them back down to their endless outstretched hands. When he had satisfied them he paused and looked around (Golding
Simon was the character who always had a kind heart and was looking to help even if the boys were mean or making fun of him. Simon always seemed to help anyone, no matter who they were,“The littluns watched him inscrutably over double handfuls of ripe fruit,”(Golding 56). Simon did what he felt was the right thing to do regardless of what others thought, which was to try to bring order to the island. Simon risked his life for the better of the boys by discovering what the “beast” truly was. Even in his last moments, Simon always sought out to help, by releasing the parachute man this let, what the boys thought was the beast, to leave the island.
Simon even has his own place that he would go off to when he wanted to be alone to meditate, his action acts on a spiritual
Simon is insightful of what and where the beast is, which also makes him the most powerful in some ways, and definitely the wisest. Simon was always thinking of new ways to keep the peace between the boys. When
You can plainly see this in how Simon was the only one who remained completely civil and good resembling how Jesus is the only one who has walked this earth and didn’t sin once in His life. With his well-minded nature, Simon constantly attempts to be a peacemaker and succeeds in preventing himself from falling to the level of evil of his peers. Simon went through a lot with the plane crash, being stranded on the island, and being picked on by those such as Jack, and yet through it all, he remained to be the most sound minded and good person in his group just like Jesus lived a perfect life despite all of His
He has a pure heart by birth, and does not act out of selfish interest. Simon represents “a rare type of person that does not exist. There are people who give of themselves because it is their nature or their sole ambition. They do consider their own needs from time to time, but are principally concerned with the needs of others” (Olsen 16). Simon is constantly helping the boys.
