William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies can be interpreted theologically by regarding characters and events as religious symbols or ideas. The representation of important religious leaders and ideas are prominent throughout the book, depicted by the main characters. Lord of the Flies is an allegory showing the fight between Christian and Pagan values.
The strongest representation of Christianity in the novel is Simon. Seen as the Christ-like figure, he gives up his own life in an attempt to tell the boys about the beast. Jack and the boys are blinded by their own ignorance, and unknowingly murder their savior, Simon. Both Simon and Christ were killed while trying to reveal the truth, by those that believed they were evil. Simon is also a prophet because he knows that Ralph will come back to civilization alive, however, he says nothing about himself nor Piggy. The reason for this is unknown. Simon is spiritually perceptive and has definite moral consciousness, unlike the rest of the boys, which sets him apart and makes him unique. This is evident when he states "What I mean is. maybe it's only us" (89). Just like Christ, Simon is without fear, because he knows what is meant to happen will prevail. Ralph is the median between the two extremes of good and evil. Although he tries to accomplish what is right, he lacks the self-control to do so. He represents a majority of people that struggle with trying to do right, but eventually resorting to wrong. Ralph is, like all of us, a sinful human being, despite his yearning to achieve what he sees as noble; what he thinks needs to be completed. An obvious example of this would be how Ralph struggled to keep the fire going and that he thought it was the most important thing, far more important than hunting (85).
The representation of paganism and self-seeking pleasure is portrayed by Jack and his hunters. They fuel the power struggle between good and evil.
