Simon Flashcards
‘the chior boy who had fainted smiled pallidly at Ralph and said that his name was Simon.’
Simon fainting gives the impression that he is a weaker and delicate character. His name is Christian and saint-like. Throughout the book Simon is represented as a biblical figure. It is implied that he has Epilepsy. As victims of epilepsy are more likely to faint as a result of over-heating.
‘the Lord of the Flies hung on his stick and grinned. In Simon’s right temple, a pulse began to beat on the brain. ‘
Normal victims of fainting wouldn’t suffer from hallucinations like this. It is likely that Golding knew about the correlation between epilepsy and religious experiences. It is likely that Simon’s hallucination was an epiphany about human nature. This is likely because he has already been established as a christ-like-figure.
‘there arose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick’
Simon’s view of the beat as something that isn’t physical but is the evil inside all humans is a view also shared by Golding. Golding gave the knowledge to Simon who is an outsider to reflect how society sees ‘visionaries’.
