English
06 October 2017
Simon's light
In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses images of light when describing Simon's body In order to show that Simon is the most caring, wise and sympathetic character in the book. He not only cares about himself but genuinely cares about each boy on the Island.
A small selfless act that shows Simon's character happened In Chapter 3 When the "littluns" or little ones couldn't reach the fruits on the trees, Simon being the caring soul he is, grabs and gives them the fruits. To show this actions Golding writes, "Then amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for [the littluns] the fruit they could not reach ... [and] passed them back down to the endless outstretched hands" (Loft 3.51)Simon is the only boy who sympathizes with the littluns and caters to their needs.
Golding also uses light around Simon's body when he died because Simon was the only boy who suggests that the beast was not a physical object but maybe something living inside of each of them. I believe Simon is talking about fear while Piggy and he talk about where the beast comes from but I could be wrong. In Chapter 5, Simon says "Maybe there is a beast...maybe it's only us"(Loft 5.80) maybe meaning that fear lives within each of us and we are willing to make irrational choices out of fear. This scene also shows how wise and brave Simon really is.
Another example is when the boys were in the forest and were arguing about who was gonna tell piggy, who stayed behind with the "littluns", that they would be back by the morning. The boys once again let fear take over saying that couldn't go because it was dark and they can't send more than one person at a time. Simon, and his selfless nature volunteers to tell Piggy. Golding writes, "Simon pushed his way to Ralph's elbow, I'll go if you like I don't mind, honestly." (Loft 7.124-129) This shows that he cares about Piggy and the "littluns" safety.
Golding uses images of light when describing Simons body, "Surrounded by a fringe of inquisitive bright creatures itself a silver shape beneath the steadfast constellations, Simon's dead body moved out toward the open sea." (Loft 9.154). He uses this light to show that Simon is the most selfless and caring boy on the island. He was the only hope the boys had at finding peace and unity among each other. His light represents the hope he carried and the nature he possessed compared to all the other boys.
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