Character Analysis Of Simon In Lord Of The Flies.
Amidst the ruinous disorder throughout the novel Lord of the Flies, the lack of civilization and human goodness leads the young children to evils and rough conditions they have never faced. After several characters fail to uphold responsibilities and commitments, things begin falling apart. If only half of the boys had the mindset and perception of Simon, the majority of the problems would have ceased. Simon, an "embryo mystic" (qtd in Epstein 207) who represents a kind of innate, spiritual, human goodness connected deeply with nature, shares the experiences of both the "littluns" and the older boys. He has the innocent perceptions and feelings of the "littluns", yet the knowledge of the older boys as well. Simon is a fine example of peace and good nature throughout the novel.
Being such an example of true, good willed character, however, Simon often alienates himself from the group. He takes life much more seriously than the others do, being plagued with a certain moral consciousness, which the other boys do not understand. He has a heightened perception, even more so than Piggy. Simon is unique because he can actually hear the voice of the beast. Suggesting that "maybe there is a beast" (89 ), Simon shows how insightful he actually is. He realizes that the beast is not "something one can hunt and kill"(143), but rather handle it internally because it exists inside of each person. However, the other boys do not comprehend his attempt to explain this. .
The reason Simon is my favorite character from the novel is that he makes sense of what is going on that no other boys grasp. He distinguishes the true beast, but most importantly, he makes the connection between the dead parachutist and the Lord of the Flies. He understands that with the death of the man in the parachute, which symbolizes the death of reason, the chaos of the Lord of the Flies is free to reign supreme.
