Lord of the Flies Literary Essay Symbolism is a very important element that is used in many novels. In William Goldings Lord of the Flies, the use of symbolism is very present and is shown through objects and characters. In Lord of the Flies, Simon symbolises the natural goodness in a human being. He is compassionate towards other people's feelings which shows true kindness. He helps other people out without needing any reasons for doing so, and he also is the only boy on the island that finds out the real truth about the beast. Even though Simon didn't really fit in well with the other boys on the island, he still remained very wise and tried his best to make a difference in other people's lives and his too. In the novel, Simon was described as a "skinny, vivid little boy...," (24) showing that he might have been weaker than the others physically, but not mentally. Despite his size, he still tried to help other people out on the island as best as he could. When the littluns could not reach the fruit, "Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands." (56) He also was the only person that helped Ralph build shelters, while everybody else was doing their own thing, and having fun. Ralph said, "...I work all day with nothing but Simon...," (54) which shows that even though Simon could be doing his own thing like everybody else was, he stayed and helped Ralph out just for the good of it. The other boys on the island thought of Simon as "..queer...funny," (55) because he was rather odd, always going away in the forest alone for long periods of time. Every time Simon tried to talk to the other boys, his "effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless in his seat." (89) Even though he was considered an outcast by the other boys, he still thought of other people's feelings, even though they didn't think of his.
In the end, he was trying more to tell the boys what he knew, but they just thought he was weird. He told Ralph, 'You'll get back alright.';(111) Ralph's response was only that he thought Simon was 'batty.'; In another instance, he went to tell the others that he found out what the beast really was (the parachutist), but got caught in their bestial dance. They heard him 'crying something about a body on the hill,'; (152) but it was too late. In the darkness, he had been mistaken for the beast and was killed. Although Simon's life was a short one and he did not have the time to go through much change, he proved that there was hope for being rescued. He may have been an outcast and slightly weird, but he knew that everything would be just fine. Had he lived through the assault that took his life, the other boys would have seen that he was not as strange as they thought he was. It always seems that the children who know the most are mistaken for something else and are automatically singled out.
Finally, the good or moral person should be someone who stands up for what is right regardless of what others think, is willing to sacrifice for the greater good and is a very rational person. In the novel, Simon is the character who is shown as the good that exists in our society. First, Simon openly admits that he does not believe in the beast. Regardless of what the other boys think of him, he stands his ground. Secondly, Simon sacrifices his free time to help Ralph build shelter for all the boys. Although this involves much labour and hard work, he is willing to do anything he can to help out. Lastly, Simon is one of the only boys who does not jump to conclusions when rumors and stories of the beast begin to surface.
Simon is the morally good boy. His selflessness and goodness comes from within. He is kind to the little boys, and helps the outcasts. For example, when none of the boys want to give Piggy meat from the first pig, Simon steps up and takes
