Summative Task III
Simon's Character Development
Simon is a very interesting character. Imagine we had a circle. Inside the circle would be Ralph, Jack, the Choir, and the littluns. Outside the circle would be Piggy. Simon is on the border of the circle. He is not cruel to Piggy, yet he still is in the rights with the other lot.
In the first chapter, Simon is introduced to us as part of the choir. He faints in the heat, but it also gives the impression that he is rather physically weak. Ralph seems to see something good in him, however, for he invites him to come along with himself and Jack on an island exploration. When Piggy begs to come along, Simon pretends not to hear him. Here, he is copying the ways of Jack, his leader back in England (pg 21). He's creative, for he comes up with a way to make a map (pg 22, "We could make scratches on bark,").
In Chapter 2, when the boys rush off to gather wood for the fire, Simon is assumed to be with them; it is only Piggy and Ralph left behind (though Ralph soon runs off too). When Jack turns spitefully on Piggy (pg 41, "A fat lot you tried," said Jack contemptuously. "You just sat."), Simon defended Piggy, pointing out the use of his specs. Though he is part of the choir, he seems to have some compassion in him for those who need it.
In Chapter 3, Simon builds huts with Ralph. It's just him and Ralph when Jack arrives from hunting; everyone else has run off to swim or play. (pg 51, "All day I've been working with Simon. No one else; they're all eating, or bathing, or swimming." -Ralph). He has a sense of duty or responsibility to help his chief, and he has not quite forgotten all the old English ways of helping others. He also takes the idea of the littluns 'beastie' quite seriously, questioning whether or not they were telling the truth. He likes to be fair, looking at ideas from all view points.
Simon wanders off while Ralph and Jack are bickering. He likes to be by himself, but not because he's a loner. He just seem to enjoy the peace of being away from the bickering, laughing, shouting, and splashing; he's perfectly content to listen to the bees buzzing. This whole section is found from pages 56-59. He's a quiet boy, who is rather content to be either by himself, defending others, or helping in domestic areas.
Chapter 4 brings us to the great fire and the first pig kill. Simon is not part of the hunters; he stays behind and goes swimming with Ralph, Piggy, and Maurice. When Simon saw that the fire had gone out and that there was no smoke, he cried out in pain, as if he was hurt (pg 70). He obviously sees how much damage that had done; they had lost their first chance at rescue. He felt it deep inside him. He knew and understood this loss so much he was crying (pg 71). When Jack hits Piggy for berating him and Piggy's specs fall off, it is Simon that finds them and hands them over to Piggy. It says, "Passions beat about Simon on the mountain-top with awful wings." (pg 75). Simon is passionate; we see this when he helps others; when he goes off on his own for peace and quiet; when he defends and helps Piggy; and when he cries as he sees their chance of rescue sail away. When Piggy complains about not getting any pork, it is Simon who shares his hunk of meat (pg 78). Though Simon seemed to want to share, he lowered his head in shame. He's quite unsure of where his own loyalties lie.
In Chapter 5, an assembly is held where a littlun named Phil stands up and tells everyone that he saw something moving along the trees, "something big and horrid." (pg 91). Simon says it was him, and that he wanted to go to a place he knew (pg 92, "I wanted--to go to a place--a place I know...just a place I know. A place in the jungle.") He was humiliated in front of everyone when Jack says that he was taken short.
Then, Simon turns many heads when he mentions (though hesitantly) that there may be a beast (pg 95, '"Maybe," he said hesitantly, "maybe there is a beast."') It later says that his heartbeats were choking him while he was speaking to the company of boys on the beach. Many are quite dismissive of his ideas, especially when he suggests it might be them. Simon thinks it may be the boys themselves that are the beast; he believes that nothing is worse than a human being (pg 96). However, his idea and fear fall in ruin, and he is left to shrink away from the laughter. Simon speaks his mind, no matter how scared he is, and he is getting braver as the book progresses. He also sees things in life differently, such as how they themselves may be worse than any beastie.
Simon also seems very respectful of Ralph's position as chief. He reminds Ralph at least twice that he is chief so he should do something or other.
In Chapter 6, Samneric see the 'beast', and run back to the camp to tell everyone. A party of boys, including Simon, go off to search or hunt for the beast. There is a paragraph that perfectly describes what he is feeling.
'Simon, walking in front of Ralph, felt a flicker of incredulity -- a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountain-top, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Samnerc. However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick. He sighed. Other people could stand up and speak to an assembly, apparently, without that dreadful feeling of the pressure of personality; could say what they would as though they were speaking to only one person.' -Lord of the Flies, pg 112.
He fears mankind above all else, seeing them as a hero yet a monster at the same time. An interesting combination. He also has problems with public speaking; he prefers to speak to one person at a time. He is getting better at speaking his mind, though, and now is talking more.
In Chapter 6, Simon acts extremely odd. On page 121, he, out of the blue, tells Ralph '"You'll get back to where you came from."' Ralph questions this certainty, and Simon just replies that he knows. It's a feeling.
Night begins to fall, and the hunters/exploration party need to contact Piggy back at the camp.
Simon volunteers to be the messenger back to Piggy and the littluns, and disappears with a grin into the creepers.
Simon changes over the course of the first six chapters by getting more confident; it's a postive change. He begins to defend Piggy more often, yet somehow stays in the right with Jack and Ralph by helping out around the camp. He begins to find it easier to stand up in front of everyone and tell them that it was him sneaking out of the camp; that he thinks that the beast might be real, and that, if it is, it is them, the boys. Though he does find it nerve-wracking, he does it, nonetheless. He also thinks a lot, and we are given access to his thoughts; they are more deep than shallow, and different than the rest of the boys (Ralph, Jack, & Piggy).
Note: Physical Information on Simon
Skinny
Vivid
Inbetween the littluns & the biguns
Dark shock of hair
Note: Other Information on Simon
Thinks a lot
Quiet
Shy
Doesn't like to public speak
Contemplative
Helpful
Defends others
The picture above is of Simon from the 1964 movie, 'Lord of the Flies'.
Hope this gave you a clear picture on Simon! (He's my favourite character so far.)
Cheers,
Kate
