Tuesday, January 25, 2011

In "Lord of the Flies," what is Simon's family history?

I don't believe we're ever given Simon's exact family history, but I think there are certainly some family life things we can infer from the actions of his character.  I think we can safely assume that Simon is an older brother to multiple siblings at home, he is given large amounts of responsibility in watching those siblings,  and he is subject to some form of strong authority at home, either a parent or some other caretaker.

 These may seem like contradictory statements, but let's look at how Simon acts in the novel.  He is, by far, the most helpful boy on the island.  Whenever someone needs help, he is the first to give it.  Simon helps Ralph build the shelters, gives Piggy his glasses back when Jack takes them away, gives Piggy meat at the first feast when Jack denies it, grabs fruit for the littleuns when they can't reach it, and provides moral support when Ralph starts questioning his own motives.

Simon is also one of the more brave characters on the island which may indicate his natural instinct to protect those around him.  He has no problems standing up to Jack to when he feels Jack is wronging someone (particularily Piggy), and makes multiple trips through the jungle by himself, an action that should frighten any twelve year old.

Aside from all of this, though, Simon shows a tendency to heed any direction from authority figures, in this case Ralph and Jack, something that suggests his protection and supervision of...

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