Lord Of The Flies Religion Analysis

Society is thought of as sturdy and everlasting; however, the truth lies within William Golding’s book, Lord of the Flies. One of the most prominent truths in Golding’s efforts is where religion stands in civilization.Religion is sacred for the majority of people, but the minority find it corrupt and unsettling. The opinion of the minority is often the effect of simply having different views than the religious majority. Without thinking of the minority’s opinion, the religious majority regulates and practices spiritual values. A few of these practices include charity work, praying openly, and trying to spread the message of religion. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding utilizes symbolism to portray Simon and his sanctuary as religion within …show more content…
For example, during a conversation between Ralph and Simon, Golding explains, “Ralph dismissed Simon and returned to his personal hell.” (80). Within this conversation is the valuable realization that although Simon is right, Ralph won’t agree with him because Simon is viewed as crazy by the other boys. This reflects how some religious groups are made out by the press and other citizens as obscure and ridiculous. Further in the novel, Simon is the only one who goes to a sacred sanctuary. Simon is often singled out and gossiped about for “disappearing” to his spot in the woods. His spot in the woods represents church or a place of tranquility and worship. In society, people who regularly attend church are placed under judgement. This theme is extended during the death of Simon, which represents the crucifixion of Jesus. The boys believe that Simon is the beast. When in reality, he is trying to identify the truth of the beast to the boys. Because of the timing of Simon’s arrival, he is brutally killed because he wanted to tell them that evil lies within each of them and the beast was just a dead pilot. Through the history of the world, religions have tried to cast out other religions as being evil, leading to mass genocides. In conclusion, Golding relayed the message of the negative connotation surrounding …show more content…
Golding describes, “With a feeling of humiliation on Simon 's behalf, Ralph took back the conch, looking Simon sternly in the face as he did so.” (65). When Simon tries to explain his sanctuary and its purpose to the other boys during a meeting, it upset Ralph. Ralph didn’t want others to believe Simon because he thought it was outrageous. This is seen in today’s world when Jehovah Witnesses come to our door to persuade of their religion. People often turn them away because a Jehovah Witness’ ideals are made out to be silly. Continually, Simon’s emotions are recounted, “Simon 's effort fell about him in ruins; the laughter beat him cruelly and he shrank away defenseless to his seat.” (68). Because Simon is laughed at for his ideals and motives, he slowly begins to retreat to how the other boys think. This happens quite often to younger kids when they don’t understand why they go to church. When someone is conditioned to feel bad about themselves for their beliefs or practices, it is easy to follow the crowd just to fit in. Golding shows that Simon hasn’t fully thrown away his morality when he states, “However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.” (79). This part of the novel shows Simon’s realization to the beast. However, he keeps this to himself so that it doesn’t upset one of the boys. Sometimes, people keep religious