Biblical Allegories in the Lord of the Flies
Throughout history, the Bible has been referenced and used as an allusion to portray certain messages to the reader. These messages are traced back to those that the Bible has successfully conveyed, such as the importance to love one another, the presence of evil in civilisation and the priority of good in a society. Many authors are known to use them to their advantage and turn them into themes and symbolisms in their works of literature. Golding is aware of such benefits and thus decided to use them to his profit. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses character and setting to create biblical allegories within his publication. Simon’s character development, his interaction with the Lord …show more content…
Throughout the story, Simon is actually comparable to Jesus Christ. Firstly, Simon’s interest in meditation resembles Christ’s affinity for meditation. In Chapter 3, Simon is observed to walk into the jungle and enclose himself within leaves and creepers.“Holding his breath he cocked a critical ear at the sounds of the island.”(Golding, p.57) He lays there listening only to the sounds of the island. A critical ear signifies his deep thought and reflection basing himself on the sound that surrounds him. Although it is not explicitly said, it’s implied that Simon is meditating. This is comparable to Christ’s meditation, which is prayer. In fact, prayer is a form of meditation that Christ performed very often. His affinity for prayer is examined in his own words: “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (Timothy 4:15) as well as “But when you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:5-8) These passages suggest that Christ was a meditator himself and that he proclaims quiet and peaceful meditation as Simon had done. Simon also has an attitude seen to help the littluns similar to Christ’s love for children. “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. [...] The littluns …show more content…
Firstly, the beast occupies many similarities with the Snake in the Garden of Eden mentioned in the Bible. In the book of Genesis, a serpent tempts and lures Adam and Eve into eating the apple that God had forbidden them to eat. This leads God exiling both Adam and Eve. The theme of the fall of man is present in the Garden of Eden and the Lord of the Flies as a result of a constant antagonist; the Snake and the beast. The “snake-thing” had provoked the fall of man in the novel because it had commenced the boys’ innate ability to become savage in the absence of civilisation. Once the boys began believing in a “beastie”, their fear for the unknown had driven them into savagery. They began hunting more often, losing interest in rescue (the fire), painting their faces, wearing less clothes, losing the value for human life (Simon and Piggy’s murders), etc. This is essentially the fall of man. A separate example of the beast’s similarities with Snake in the Bible is from Numbers 21:7. “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” Within this passage, the author implies that the “serpents” signifies mankind’s essential illness, and in other words; savagery. They pray so that they become less savage in order to not loose man’s innocence and lessen the darkness of man’s heart. This is where the beast correlates to the serpent
Throughout history, the Bible has been referenced and used as an allusion to portray certain messages to the reader. These messages are traced back to those that the Bible has successfully conveyed, such as the importance to love one another, the presence of evil in civilisation and the priority of good in a society. Many authors are known to use them to their advantage and turn them into themes and symbolisms in their works of literature. Golding is aware of such benefits and thus decided to use them to his profit. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses character and setting to create biblical allegories within his publication. Simon’s character development, his interaction with the Lord …show more content…
Throughout the story, Simon is actually comparable to Jesus Christ. Firstly, Simon’s interest in meditation resembles Christ’s affinity for meditation. In Chapter 3, Simon is observed to walk into the jungle and enclose himself within leaves and creepers.“Holding his breath he cocked a critical ear at the sounds of the island.”(Golding, p.57) He lays there listening only to the sounds of the island. A critical ear signifies his deep thought and reflection basing himself on the sound that surrounds him. Although it is not explicitly said, it’s implied that Simon is meditating. This is comparable to Christ’s meditation, which is prayer. In fact, prayer is a form of meditation that Christ performed very often. His affinity for prayer is examined in his own words: “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (Timothy 4:15) as well as “But when you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:5-8) These passages suggest that Christ was a meditator himself and that he proclaims quiet and peaceful meditation as Simon had done. Simon also has an attitude seen to help the littluns similar to Christ’s love for children. “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. [...] The littluns …show more content…
Firstly, the beast occupies many similarities with the Snake in the Garden of Eden mentioned in the Bible. In the book of Genesis, a serpent tempts and lures Adam and Eve into eating the apple that God had forbidden them to eat. This leads God exiling both Adam and Eve. The theme of the fall of man is present in the Garden of Eden and the Lord of the Flies as a result of a constant antagonist; the Snake and the beast. The “snake-thing” had provoked the fall of man in the novel because it had commenced the boys’ innate ability to become savage in the absence of civilisation. Once the boys began believing in a “beastie”, their fear for the unknown had driven them into savagery. They began hunting more often, losing interest in rescue (the fire), painting their faces, wearing less clothes, losing the value for human life (Simon and Piggy’s murders), etc. This is essentially the fall of man. A separate example of the beast’s similarities with Snake in the Bible is from Numbers 21:7. “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” Within this passage, the author implies that the “serpents” signifies mankind’s essential illness, and in other words; savagery. They pray so that they become less savage in order to not loose man’s innocence and lessen the darkness of man’s heart. This is where the beast correlates to the serpent