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READ THIS
While Jack and his hunters have rejected Ralph's leadership and have gone hunting, Simon has gone up
the mountain by himself to search for the beast.
He is doubtful that the beast really exists. If possible, therefore, he wishes to make contact with whatever
it is that is frightening the boys.
READ THE FOLLOWING:
Simon's head was tilted slightly up. His eyes could not break away and the Lord of the Flies hung in space
before him.
"What are you doing out here all alone? Aren't you afraid of me?"
Simon shook.
"There isn't anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast."
Simon's mouth laboured, brought forth audible words.
"Pig's head on a stick."
"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" said the head. For a moment or two
the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. "You knew, didn't
you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?"
The laughter shivered again.
"Come now," said the Lord of the Flies. "Get back to the others and we'll forget the whole thing."
Simon's head wobbled. His eyes were half-closed as though he were imitating the obscene thing on the
stick. He knew that one of his times was coming on. The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a balloon.
"This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you'll only meet me down there -- so don't try to escape!"
Simon's body was arched and stiff. The Lord of the Flies spoke in the voice of a schoolmaster.
"This has gone quite far enough. My poor, misguided child, do you think you know better than I do?"
There was a pause.
"I'm warning you. I'm going to get waxy. D'you see? You're not wanted. Understand? We are going to
have fun on this island. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island! So don't try it on, my poor
misguided boy, or else -- "
Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread.
" -- Or else," said the Lord of the Flies, "we shall do you. See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert
and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?"
Simon was inside the mouth. He fell down and lost consciousness.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
Simon's head was tilted slightly up. His eyes could not break away and the Lord of the Flies hung in
space before him.
- What was Simon doing up on the mountainside? (4)
[Need help?]
Simon, although only six years old, was a loner and a recluse. He felt out of place in the company of the
other boys and often sought to be alone.
He also appears to suffer from epilepsy, a sickness that was not fully understood or accepted in the days
when the novel was written.
Whenever Simon feels a fit seizing him, therefore, he goes off into the bush to be alone, so that none of
the other boys will see his humiliation.
But he also had something to prove: did the beast really exist?
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- What was the thing that was being called "the Lord of the Flies"? What was it doing up there
on the mountain slope? (4)
[Need help?]
The "Lord of the Flies" is literally a pig's head that had been placed on a stake as an offering to an
evil beast that the boys fear is haunting their island.
That afternoon Jack and his cohorts had hunted and killed a sow, and offered its head and entrails as a
gift to the beast. It was this pig's head which appeared to be speaking to Simon, calling itself "the Lord
of the Flies".
There is, however, more to the name than meets the eye. The term "Lord of the Flies" is the
English translation of the ancient word "Beelzebub" or Satan.
The "Lord of the Flies" is therefore an evil spirit or even Satan, which has seized control
of the boys.
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"What are you doing out here all alone? Aren't you afraid of me?" [the beast asked]. Simon shook.
- Is Simon afraid of the beast? Explain your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
Simon is indeed probably very afraid of the beast. He is, after all, only six years of age and little boys of
that age would most likely be most afraid.
On the other hand, Simon is the one boy who has correctly identified the true nature of the beast. It is not
a flesh-and-blood beast at all, but rather an evil spirit that has seized control of the boys.
The beast lives within them. It is their lower nature and, as such, can be escaped.
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[Need help?]
Simon's shaking is probably due to his epileptic seizure that is overtaking him.
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"Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!" said the head. For a moment or two
the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. "You knew, didn't
you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they
are?"
- Why can the beast not be hunted and killed? (4)
[Need help?]
The beast does not actually exist as a flesh-and-blood creature. It is rather the lower nature of the boys
themselves, an evil side to humanity.
This evil spirit can therefore not be hunted and killed, although an understanding of it does make it
possible for the boys to rise above it and not allow it to control them.
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- What does Simon know? Explain in detail. (4)
[Need help?]
Simon knows, indeed, that the beast does not actually exist as a flesh-and-blood creature but is the lower
nature of the boys themselves.
Humanity has two natures, one good and one evil. The beast is the evil side, the boys's lower nature
which is given to depravity.
It can be overcome only by turning to the side of light and allowing the Spirit of Good to dominate their
thoughts and actions.
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- The text speaks of "the parody of laughter". But there is also a parody in the words,"I'm part
of you? Close, close, close!" Explain the meaning of this parody. [Hint: you should be examining
a biblical text. Do you know what it is?] (4)
[Need help?]
The novel Lord of the Flies is the story of the clash between good and evil that goes on within all
of humanity.
To create substance for this clash, Golding makes use of close parallels with New Testament stories.
Mark's gospel begins with the words, "Repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is near -- the
kingdom of God is within."
And there lies the parody. The "Lord of the Flies" or Beelzebub is saying precisely the same thing
to Simon: "My kingdom is close, close, close. I am within you. I am part of you."
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Simon's head wobbled. His eyes were half-closed as though he were imitating the obscene thing on
the stick. He knew that one of his times was coming on. The Lord of the Flies was expanding like a
balloon.
- What is meant by "one of his times was coming on"? (2)
[Need help?]
Simon is referring to an impending epileptic seizure, isn't he?
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"This is ridiculous," says the Lord of the Flies. "You know perfectly well you'll only meet me down there
-- so don't try to escape!"
- What does the "Lord of the Flies" mean when he says "you'll only meet me down
there"? (4)
[Need help?]
The "Lord of the Flies" is referring to the dual nature which exists within the boys, the higher nature
which is good and their lower nature which is evil.
The Beast is this lower nature. So, if Simon goes down to the boys, he will meet the "Lord of the
Flies" down there too, existing within each and every one of them -- their lower, evil nature which is
one of brutality, Beelzebub living within the boys.
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- Was it indeed at all possible to escape? (4)
[Need help?]
Is it at all possible to escape one's lower nature? In a sense, not really. The two natures are part and
parcel of every person.
It is possible, however, to dedicate oneself to one's upper nature and thereby limit the effectiveness of the
lower spirit.
Ralph was attempting to do this, and so was Piggy. Jack and his cohorts, however, were giving
themselves over totally to their lower side.
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" -- Or else," said the Lord of the Flies,"we shall do you. See?"
- There is an ominous prediction in these words from the Lord of the Flies. Explain
why. (4)
[Need help?]
Notice that the "Lord of the Flies" speaks of "we".
This could be the "royal we" which is used by people in authority. It is probable, however, that the
Beast is identifying himself with the boys.
The lower nature exists in all the boys. And it is this lower nature which will act against Simon.
"We" therefore refers to the action of all the boys. When Simon recovers from this epileptic fit, he
seeks out the boys to tell them the truth about the Beast. The boys, however, mistake Simon for the Beast
and kill him -- they literally "do" him!
And notice too that it wasn't just Jack and his cohorts who killed Simon. It was all the boys acting together,
including Ralph and Piggy. Ralph and Piggy also kill Simon, thinking he is the beast.
And so the words of the Beast have indeed an ominous ring to them because all the boys, including Ralph
and Piggy, "do him", i.e. they kill him.
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