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Simon is the one character in Lord of the Flies who’s undeniably, unalterably good. So what did William Golding have in mind when he created Simon? Jenny disagrees with critics who think that Simon is a Christ figure. Check out this Recap for her response to Golding’s most nuanced character.

Video Transcription:

If Ralph = civilization, Jack = savagery, and Piggy = reason, what does Simon stand for? It’s not a riddle because I’ve got the answer for you—coming up.

Simon is a symbol of essential human goodness. Here’s how you know.

In Lord of the Flies, it’s every boy for himself. Except when it comes to Simon. There he is, at the end of Chapter Three, plucking ripe fruit for the littlest boys like some kind of Patron Saint of Desert Islands.

But a lot of the people look at Simon and say, “Wait, there’s got to be more.” They say, “Simon is really good; well, Jesus was really good, so Simon must be a Christ figure.”

And then they look at the fact that Simon can maintain the purity of his goodness in the face of evil and they say, “Well, Jesus did that, too. “

And then they say, “Oh, and Simon is eventually murdered at the hands of those who have given into evil, JUST LIKE JESUS!!”

Right. Except when Simon dies, that’s it. But when Jesus is crucified, that’s not it. In the Jesus story, the crucifixion is followed by a resurrection. Good triumphs over evil.

Not with Simon.

Which means that if you want Biblical parallels, wait for Recap 6.