Simon Character Notes Lord of the Flies

William Golding

Images from Lord of the Flies 1963 film.
Copyright © Iestyn Tyne 2013

Character Notes


 Simon is one of Jack’s Choirboys. He faints in the heat at
the very beginning and is often seen as being strange by the
others. The only boy who discovers the truth about the
beast.
 Main actions in the novel:
 Has a fit as he marches along the beach in the choir.
 Goes exploring with Ralph and Jack.
 Goes off alone into the forest.
 Gives a piece of meat to Piggy.
 Conversation with the ‘Lord of the flies’, and faints after doing
so.
 Discovers the dead parachutist on the mountain-top.
 Killed when he discovers the truth about the beast.


 Simon alone helps Ralph to build shelters while the other boys go
off to play or to hunt.

‘All day I’ve been
working with
Simon. No one
else. They’re off
bathing, or
eating, or playing,’

Ralph

 Very supportive of Ralph as a Chief – he is loyal to Ralph, and wants
him to go on being chief.

‘Simon stirred in the
dark.’
‘Go on being Chief’

Simon


 Stands up and protects Piggy when Jack is nasty towards him.
 When Jack breaks Piggy’s glasses, Simon finds them and hands them
back to him.
 Jack won’t give Piggy meat, so Simon gives him his own.

‘...Simon, who got there
first, found them for
him. Passions beat
about Simon on the
mountain-top with
awful wings.’

 Popular with the littluns.
 He stops and picks high fruit for them from the trees – they follow him
into the forest.
 He is a Christ-like figure for them to follow.

‘...pulled off the choicest from up in the
foliage, passed them back down to the
endless, outstretched hands.’


 He wants to share what he has found out about the beast with the
others, to set their minds at ease.
 The irony is that he wants to reassure them, but this leads him to
his death.

‘The beast was
harmless and
horrible, and the news
must reach the others
as soon as possible.’


 Simon seems to enjoy being ‘utterly alone’.
 He leaves the bright beach and walks purposefully off into the dark
jungle, and we are not told why.
 His little haven is like a church where he worships.

‘Then he turned his
back on this and
walked into the forest
with an air of purpose’


 He wanders off into the forest at strange hours, when he wants to
be alone.
 A littlun sees him moving around in the trees after dark and thinks he
is the beast.

‘I wanted – to go to
a place – a place I
know.’

Simon

 Offers to go back across the island alone in the dark to tell Piggy
that the big boys will not be back till late after hunting the beast.
 All the other boys would be scared to go alone, so this shows his
courage and his wish to be alone.

‘I’ll go if you like. I
don’t
mind, honestly.’

Simon

 Goes up the mountain on his own to look for the beast.


 Simon has difficulties in expressing himself.
 When exploring, Simon shows his excitement for their surroundings by
shyly stroking Ralph’s arm.

‘Simon stroked
Ralph’s arm
shyly, and they had to
laugh again.’


 Hates speaking aloud in front of the other boys.
 Simon feels they should know his opinion on the beast, however he
cannot express himself and the others laugh at him, causing him to
withdraw and shrink back.
 When he says they should climb the mountain the ‘pressure of the
assembly’ stops him from explaining himself properly.

‘...a perilous necessity
to speak; but to speak
in an assembly was a
terrible thing to him.’


 The first thing we learn about Simon is that he is the choirboy who
faints on the beach when the choir stop marching.
 It has happened before- Jack is dismissive and says he’s always fainting.

He’s always throwing a
faint....he did in Gib.;
and Addis; and at
matins over the
precentor.’

Jack

 He is not as old or tall as the biguns, but not as small as the littluns.
 He is skinny.
 Jack and Ralph get him to walk between them then they can talk over
his head.

If Simon walks in the
middle of us...then we
can talk over his head.’

Ralph


 Loses consciousness when he is in the clearing with the pig’s head.
 He has a nosebleed before coming round, which alleviates some of the
pressure in his head as his ‘fit passed.’

‘Simon was inside
the mouth. He fell
down and lost
consciousness.’


 People have often said that Simon represents a Jesus-like figure in this
book.
 Does nothing to harm people
 Hands out food to the littluns
 Makes a foreseeing / foreshadowing announcement
 Dies for telling the truth

‘What I mean
is...maybe it’s only us.’

Simon

 The conversation between Simon and the Lord of the Flies could be
looked upon as a confrontation between good and evil.
 Lord of the Flies: Beelzebub – another name for the devil


 The descriptions of Simon often have a religious / spiritual twist
to them.
 The candle buds as he sits alone in the forest – They remind us of a peaceful
candle-lit church.
 After death, the descriptions of his body as it is washed out to sea give a
heavenly impression.

‘The line of his
cheek silvered and
the turn of his
shoulder became
sculpted marble’


 The others think he is weird and strange, and call him names.
 Piggy says he’s cracked.
 Even Ralph becomes impatient with Simon at times during the novel.

‘He’s queer. He’s funny.’

Ralph


 Believes, and is confident in the fact that they will be rescued.
 Tells Ralph that he will go home (IRONY: Simon himself is killed).
 Ralph is comforted after being initially scornful.

‘You’re batty.’

‘No, I’m not. I just think
Ralph you’ll get back all right -.’

Simon

 Has a conversation with The Lord of the Flies in the form of a pig’s
head.
 All the things said are coming from within Simon’s head.
 This shows us that he knows the truth – that the evil is inside each and
every one of us.

‘You knew, didn’t you?
I’m part of you? Close,
close, close!

Lord of the Flies

 Joins Jack and Ralph’s discussion about the littluns’ nightmares.
 His comment makes the others think. Ralph agrees with what he has to
say.

‘As if it wasn’t a good
island.’

Simon


 He is very aware of, and very sensitive to people’s emotions and
hostility amongst the boys which occur when arguments break out.
 He feels surrounded by passions.

‘Passions beat
about Simon on
the mountain-top
with awful wings.’


 Never thinks of the beast as a living, breathing creature which lives in
the forest.
 Feels a ‘flicker of incredulity’ when he goes along with the other boys to
try and hunt down the beast.
 He tries on several occasions to explain how he connects the beast to
humans, but they don’t understand him.

‘What I mean
is...maybe it’s only us.’

Simon

 The boys use their bare hands and teeth to tear at Simon’s flesh and
beat him to death.
 Even Piggy and Ralph are involved in this animalistic savagery.
 Shows us what even the most decent human beings are capable of –
this is the beginning of open savagery and murder on the island.

‘There were no
words, and no
movements but
the tearing of
teeth and claws.’


Simon Character Notes Lord of the Flies

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Simon Character Notes Lord of the Flies