LoF-Simon

In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Simon has a series of defining moments that alter him and the story as a whole. In the quote, “Simon found for them the fruit… passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands,” Simon demonstrates his maternal, selfless nature and discovers his role as a caregiver to those who no one helps. This event is minor because it is simply a plateau of the qualities of him. Simon reiterations his pure goodness in the quote, “Simon. He helps.” Simon aids in the construction of the huts when the other boys abandon this chore. He demonstrates his maturity and realizes his own usefulness and sense of purpose. This is a minor event because it is simply a journey to discover himself. The goodness in Simon forms a wedge between him and the boys that are growing in savagery. Simon “shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy” despite Jack’s will to leave Piggy without food as an assertion of power. Simon fights against authority and places his desire for meat below Piggy’s, a boy that the majority of the group is not fond of. This is a major moment because Simon outwardly displays his inability to be affected by society, which isolates him from the group. Simon is isolated further from the group when he seeks solace and truth about the beast. When he finds the Lord of the Flies, a pig head on a stick, it tells him “Fancy thinking the beast was something you could hunt and kill.”(pg 128). Knowing the truth of the evils of mankind further separates him from the group. Simon desires to share the truth with the others in an attempt to calm their fears and share his newfound knowledge. This leads to the next major event, Simon’s murder. Upon stumbling out of the forest, the boys reference Simon as the beast, representing how foreign Simon has become the boys despite his consistent portrayal. “The beast was on his knees in the center of the circle, its arms folded over its face.” Simon dies at the hands of his companions, attempting to deliver the truth. Besides Simon’s death, this incident is very significant because it illustrates how savage the boys have become and to contrast, how wholesome Simon is. In the event of Simon’s death the island is stripped of the last remaining peace and morality.

Presentation: 1.5 Your grammar was slightly distracting from the meaning of the paragraph, and you used several words incorrectly, and some of your word order has been inverted. You only included the page number for one quote.

Quotes: 1.5 Your quotes were fairly weak, and several did not display Simon’s character. Simon’s distribution of the fruit as his description of being the character that helps were both strong, but while the moment of Simon giving meat to Piggy was important, the quote you chose did not capture his character.

Defining Moments: 2.5 You seemed to understand Simon’s progression through the novel well, but your support was not always strong enough.

Final Score: 5.5 Monica and Samantha