Lord of the Flies’ Simon

Lord of the Flies' Simon: Helping and Getting away from Chaos Simon. To me, a very mysterious character in Golding's Lord of the Flies. So what is some of Simon's character? What are his longings? When I asked myself this question, I thought about it for a while, then I realized that he is always helping someone out in some way. I also came to realize that when he disappears from the group, it's when they are fighting or arguing. So what I got from these traits was that Simon was a helpful person, but sometimes even he needed some alone time.

Golding uses Simon's actions to show that he needs to get away from the group when it gets hectic. He squatted down, parted the leaves and looked out into the clearing. Nothing moved but a pair of gaudy butterflies that dances round each other in the hot air.Simon dropped the screen of leaves back into place.(3)Before he sneaks away from the group, the boys were arguing about the building of the shelters.

This shows me that sometimes Simon can't take all the fighting and arguing and he just needs to get away for a little while. You can also see this later on in the story when Golding says: He went on among the creepers until he reached the great mat that was woven by the open space and crawled inside. (8) Before he slips away from the group this time, the boys were getting chaotic and out of hand. From this, I can infer that whenever things get chaotic between the boys, instead of speaking up, Simon isolates himself from them.

But, Simon's helpfulness is revealed from his impressions throughout the text. Golding shows this when he wrote: Simon. He helps.' He pointed at the shelters. (3) This evidence demonstrates that they know Simon does a lot of work. It is obvious to them that Simon helps out a lot. From that, I can infer that the things he does are important and need to be done. Then, Golding illustrates Simon's helpfulness by saying: D'you see? All day I've been working with Simon. No one else.

They're off bathing, or eating, or playing. (3) Here, the word choice suggests that Simon was the only one who wanted to help Ralph build the shelters instead of doing things that won't benefit them instead. From Ralph's tone, I can infer that he is upset, so I think Simon being the only one who helped made Ralph angry because they all wanted to use the huts, but none of them wanted to help build them.

A reader can also infer Simon is helpful through his speech, you can infer this with the following: Simon pushed his way to Ralph's elbow. ?I'll go if you like. I don't mind, honestly.' (Golding 7) When this quote took place, the boys were trying to decide who was going to go by themselves across the island to tell Piggy that they wouldn't return until after dark. Simon was brave enough to volunteer to help out. After all, he didn't believe in the beast, so he had nothing to be afraid of.

You can also analyze this when he says: Simon nodded. ?All the same. You'll get back alright. I think so anyway.' Some of the strain had gone from Ralph's body. He glanced at the sea then smiled bitterly at Simon. This piece of evidence shows me that even though Simon wasn't doing work to help out, he still helped through speech. He used his words to ease Ralph's worry; from that, I can infer that he can help in many different ways.

So throughout the novel, it was very distinct what Simon's personality was. He was a person who liked helping; but sometimes when he couldn't help, he instead secluded himself from the others. Golding showed this throughout the novel using Simon's actions, his impressions, and his speech. He made Simon's personality so unique that it was unlike any other character yet still a relatable figure.

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