Simon's Death Cause Ralph To Come Of Age In Lord Of The Flies

In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies, Simon and Piggy’s sudden deaths cause Ralph to Come of Age so he can deal with the tragedy and realize the others are still savages. Ralph and a school of other boys crash their plane on a deserted island in the 1950s, trying to escape the bombing going on in England. Only the children survive, so they have to try to stay together and get rescued. However, there is a fabled “Beast” on the island that threatens the children, and eventually tears them apart. Many boys secede from the original group and become savages of the island, only concerned with food and killing the “Beast”. When Simon comes back with his revelation that the “Beast” is only a trick their minds are playing on them, he is viciously

Along the way, this tragic event causes him to Come of Age. In the World of Mages, magic exists, but it is hidden to the majority of the world. Young magicians go to Watford School, where the two main characters Simon and Baz are in their final year. When Baz is missing, Simon is visited by the ghost of his mother, tragically killed by vampires while Baz was only an infant. Even though Simon has never gotten along well with Baz, he feels it is his duty to help Baz find his mother’s killer. “‘Because she was your mother,’ he says. ‘And they killed her in front of you. And that’s - that’s wrong.’” (Rowell 217). When Simon learns about the death of Baz’s mother, he grows as a person when he decides to tell Baz. Instead of disregarding the issue, he decides to forget past experiences and help Baz. Later on the search for the killer of Baz’s mom, things start to look bleak. Baz starts to think Simon is giving up. However, Simon will not turn away from helping Baz. “‘I won’t,’ I say. ‘I’ve never turned my back on you. And I’m not starting now.’” (Rowell 340). Simon starts to care for Baz and forms a strong relationship with him. This shows Simon is finally Coming of Age and caring for Baz, among other people. In the end, Simon has to finally end the Humdrum, the book’s antagonist, from sucking up all the magic out of England. Unfortunately, he cannot do this without sacrificing all of his magic. At the final battle, Simon knows the only way to stop the Humdrum. Simon will do anything to stop the Humdrum from attacking the magical world, even if it means giving up his magic. “‘No,’ I say. ‘I’m going to end this.’” (Rowell 479). To stop the Humdrum once and for all, Simon pushes all of his magic into the Humdrum to end him and all the holes taking magic away from the world. His sacrifice shows his Coming of Age, because he is willing to give up his magic to save