Many famous works of literature draw upon the world’s most famous book for plot devices, character traits, and over-arching motifs. John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost is a complete retelling of the story of Adam and Eve. C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia and, more recently, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter both feature Christ-like sacrifices at one point in these series. For centuries, literary writers have toyed with adding Christian themes to their works, even if subtly. Lord of the Flies by William Golding is yet another example of a novel that features very faint biblical allusions that are adroitly sewn into the narrative. During arguably the most important scene in the novel, Golding depicts conflict and temptation through Simon and
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The Lord of the Flies in physical form is just a dismembered pig head on a stick. However, the head can be seen tempting Simon, taunting the boy with the promise of having “fun” with him and foreshadowing the boy’s death. Simon nearly falls for this temptation, as he is taken over by the presence of the Lord of the Flies and passes out. In the Bible, it is said that Jesus had a confrontation with the Devil in a similar way. Satan tried to tempt Jesus into worshiping him, and the Lord of the Flies’s tactic to overpower Simon resembles much of the Devil’s failed attempt to defeat Jesus. Therefore, the Lord of the Flies reflects Satan’s representation of chaotic evil, as it promotes evil within mankind and comments on how all of humanity cannot escape its evil tendencies. Even more, this confrontation with the Lord of the Flies allows Simon to understand the ultimate truth on the island—that the so-called “beast” does not exist. This knowing truth continues to promote Simon as a Christ-like figure that has the knowledge and ability to free the boys of the island from the evil surrounding the mythical beast, much like Jesus’s own ability to bring about salvation to sinners. Because of the parallels between the Lord of the Flies and Satan, one can continue to develop an understanding of Simon’s association to Jesus, and thus complete the biblical allusion of Jesus versus Satan as Simon versus the Lord of the Flies in the
The Lord of the Flies in physical form is just a dismembered pig head on a stick. However, the head can be seen tempting Simon, taunting the boy with the promise of having “fun” with him and foreshadowing the boy’s death. Simon nearly falls for this temptation, as he is taken over by the presence of the Lord of the Flies and passes out. In the Bible, it is said that Jesus had a confrontation with the Devil in a similar way. Satan tried to tempt Jesus into worshiping him, and the Lord of the Flies’s tactic to overpower Simon resembles much of the Devil’s failed attempt to defeat Jesus. Therefore, the Lord of the Flies reflects Satan’s representation of chaotic evil, as it promotes evil within mankind and comments on how all of humanity cannot escape its evil tendencies. Even more, this confrontation with the Lord of the Flies allows Simon to understand the ultimate truth on the island—that the so-called “beast” does not exist. This knowing truth continues to promote Simon as a Christ-like figure that has the knowledge and ability to free the boys of the island from the evil surrounding the mythical beast, much like Jesus’s own ability to bring about salvation to sinners. Because of the parallels between the Lord of the Flies and Satan, one can continue to develop an understanding of Simon’s association to Jesus, and thus complete the biblical allusion of Jesus versus Satan as Simon versus the Lord of the Flies in the