Simon As A Christ Figure Essay

Even though many people do good for another being, there was still plenty of betrayal, sacrifice, and selfishness involved with

A Christ Figure is a literary character whose actions are homogeneous with that of Jesus Christ. A Separate Peace, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Cool Hand Luke are all works that incorporate a Christ Figure as one of their characters. Some of the actions exhibited by these characters include the performing of miracles, a last supper, a death and resurrection, and the betterment of their fellow peers. Christ Figures in literature commonly perform a number of miracles, which their acolytes once viewed as infeasible. McMurphy, the Christ Figure in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. is placed on a hospital ward brimming with hopeless patients under the control of an authoritarian nurse.

Simon was the epitome of innocence, because he never wanted to hurt anyone. He also tried to be on everyone’s side and looked out for the rest of the group. He believed that everyone had the best intentions, and was intuitive to the other’s emotions. For example, after Piggy confronted Ralph, Ralph was embarrassed, so Simon tried to help by, “stroking Ralph’s arm shyly”(Golding 25). He wanted to let Ralph know that he thought he made the right choice and was willing to support him.

When the boys are eating the pig Jack killed, Simon gives a piece of meat to Piggy. Jack slices off another piece of meat and throws it at Simon's feet and says, "Eat! Damn you!" (Golding, pg.78). Simon is a saint in this story always trying to do the right thing but Jack disrespects him just like Piggy.

Juan Luis Vives, a Spanish humanist, demonstrates a perfect example of an individual who has faith in humanity and believes that we as a whole can do better. Juan believes that no one knows what the ideas of a the poor are or under what circumstances they are living, but people don’t help because,”others withdraw because their good intention is embarrassed by the great number” (Doc 1). Since Luis was a Humanist and he wrote this in a book, he must have meant it and wanted to spread the word to others that it is not a sin to help the poor. Another person who witnessed the poor would have to be Rembrandt van Rijn, in his painting Beggars Receiving Alms at the Door (Doc 6).

There are certain characteristics of Christ that label a character as a Christ-figure and also can be related to the Christ figure in the Lord of the Flies, young Simon. Simon is acutely aware of the feeling of the boys on the other island. When Ralph was uncertain about removing to the civilization with the other boys, he said, “You’ll get back to where you came from…You’ll get back alright” (Golding 111). Though Simon may have been afraid of getting back as well, he put Ralph’s needs before his own, just as Christ does (but He isn’t afraid).

Simon was always an outsider and their is lots of evidence that hints Simon is a Christ like figure. He helped those in need, and was killed by his own community. He even grew his hair out longer than the other boys. The author writes, “Here the littluns who had run after him caught up with him… Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands.”(pg.56).

Prior to the Protestant Reformation, Catholic doctrine was to help the poor through gifts of alms and charity. Around the time of the Protestant Reformation, this idea of alms and charity was lost. The Catholic Church was becoming corrupt, instituting indulgences, which took the very little money poor citizens had, promising them a one-way ticket to Heaven, and focusing their money on ornate cathedrals. In search of its original values regarding the poor, Catholics were finding their own way to treat the impoverished, often times distinguishing the “deserving poor” from the “undeserving poor” based on how hard they worked, hoping to save money. The Catholic Reformation helped Catholics rediscover the idea that alms and charity to all poor were

Even the good people can be selfish too. The bad people are doing bad things, but the good people are too selfish to even help. In the story “The Diary of Anne Frank” the family has been hiding from the Germans for a long time. They have little food and little amounts of everything. Mrs.Frank catches one of the VaanDaans stealing.

The description of Simon’s eyes alone give insight as to how enigmatic his personality is. Simon is a crucial character, and this shown through his kind actions towards the littluns and Piggy, and holds an abundant amount of

Even though Simon warns them about the evil inside them, their actions still reflect their inherently bad human nature. As the time on the island goes by, the boys kill Simon and Piggy, along with a mother pig, and a well-timed rescue is all that prevents Ralph’s death. Even if people can act good, there is still greed, selfishness, and evil within everyone. It is only through the influence of civil society that the worst of human nature is kept in

Enter the world of an undiscovered island full of running children--the remaining survivors from a plane crash who struggle through their days figuring out how to get rescued. As time goes on the importance of being rescued is forgotten and selfish actions arise. The behavior of the survivors have more in common with psychological theories than just plain savagery. Focusing on three theories--the bystander effect, altruism and the social exchange theory, all connect with the novel and current human issues.

Although Simon does show traits of a Christ figure, he does not fully live up to the archetype of a Christ figure. To be a Christ figure is someone must show the traits of the Biblical Christ. In the Bible, Christ fed people who could not feed themselves, and Simon fed the littluns ripe fruit, so that they could eat without getting sick. Simon’s role as a failed Christ figure is shown in his violent and ineffective “crucifixion” and “resurrection”, and his failure at getting them to listen and be reassured by what he had to say. One of the reasons Simon is a failed Christ figure, is that he just died, unlike Christ, who died a martyr to save humanity, and was resurrected from the dead.

Matthew was the first author. The symbol for the gospel of Matthew is a winged man. His book contains over 125 Old Testament quotes. As Jesus would perform miracles and make decisions,

Piggy and Simon have a lot in common. They are both described as physically weak and ill. But while first Piggy cannot help because of his asthma, Simon helps a lot. Both boys are thinkers. Piggy is the rational one who thinks in a scientific way.