Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Simon as a Christ Figure in Lo essays

Simon as a Christ Figure in Lo essays William Golding once believed in the idea that the educated, civilized people could do no wrong, but that is before the events of WWII forever changed his view of society (Spitz). In regards to that time, Golding once stated that, ...anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been bind or wrong in the head... (Spitz). With his new critical view of human nature, William Golding began work on the novel Lord of the Flies, with the intent to trace the defects of society back to human nature (Baker). Incorporating his experience teaching in England, William Golding creates a society on a deserted island with young schoolboys to show the true, violent nature of people, no matter how educated or civilized they are. The world Golding creates is representative of society as a whole as it demonstrates what happens when mankind fails to think logically and chooses to support ideas and the figures that present them, no mat ter how morally and legally wrong they are. To complete the allegory, Golding includes a young boy named Simon to represent Jesus Christ as Simon is an omniscient figure in a world where truth, knowledge, and reason have little importance. When Golding introduces Simon to the reader, he immediately distinguishes him from the rest of the boys by having him faint, which is a common ailment for Simon (Golding 20). This scene parallels the resurrection of Christ as Simon, who is momentarily weakened, is able to rise again and begin his new, yet short life on the island. With the beginning of his new life, Simon observes different aspects of the world around him to give him the vastly unappreciated power of omniscience. A striking example is when Simon makes the bold suggestion to the boys that the highly feared beast is merely a part of them. During one of the assemblies that takes place, Simon hesitantly stands and says, Maybe,...

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.