Christian Symbolism in Lord of the Flies Essay Sample

In the fictional novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a character named Simon is portrayed as a Christ-like figure. Golding’s story of the boys who were stranded on an island has a Christ-like character that symbolizes good among evil. Throughout the novel, Simon has shown Christ-like characteristics by being confronted and tempted by the devil and by being betrayed and killed by his own.

The devil in this book is the Lord of the Flies, which is the pig’s head. When Simon discovers the Lord of the Flies, he starts to hallucinate, as if the Lord of the Flies was speaking to him. It reveals that the beast was not “something you could hunt and kill” (Golding 143). Simon listens to the Lord of the Flies as it tells him the true nature of man where there is evil inside of every man. In the bible, Jesus comes across a situation similar to Simon’s when Jesus is confronted and tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The Lord of the Flies talks to Simon, trying to scare him by telling him that boys on the island are their own beasts and that he should turn to evil and savagery.

Simon shows another Christ-like personality by being betrayed by his own. After Simon had his encounter with the Lord of the Flies, he discovered that a dead parachuter was the beast that the boys were afraid of. Before he could spread the good news, he was killed by the boys. The boys “surged after [Simon, pouring] down the rock, [leaping] on to the beast,” who ends up dying at the hands of his friends. (Golding 153). Simon is a Christ-like figure at this moment because he is betrayed and killed by his own. In the bible, Jesus was betrayed by Peter, who was one of his disciples. Similarly, Simon dies at the hands of the boys when he tries to tell them the truth. 

In the duration of the novel, Golding undoubtedly stresses Simon as a Christ-like representation. Simon symbolizes the pure goodness in man and how the world wants to get rid of him. Golding made Simon a prime allusion to Jesus because he was also betrayed by his own and had a confrontation with the devil. Also, Simon displays other Christ-like qualities, such as spending time alone in the wilderness and coming to redeem an unworthy world. Golding’s novel shows the evil in humanity, but he also wants to show that there is goodness in people.