The entire passage relating to Simon's body being washed out to sea uses imagery that conveys a gentleness and peace that is in direct contrast to the earlier savagery that resulted in his brutal death. The passage focuses on the beauty of nature, which was largely ignored by the boys.
...the sky was scattered once more with the incredible lamps of stars.Then the breeze died too and there was no noise save the drip and trickle of water that ran out of clefts and spilled down, leaf by leaf, to the brown earth of the island. The air was cool, moist, and clear; and presently even the sound of the water was still.
Only Simon had been able to recognize nature's beauty and he was acutely aware of it.
The passage makes it clear that Simon was a symbol of peace. He was profoundly at one with his surroundings and shared a link with nature which was absent in the other boys. Their surroundings had become only a means to an end, it provided food, water and shelter. It was, for the hunters, a space in which they could exercise their savagery. Simon, conversely, had a spritual connection with nature and he sought sanctuary within its depths, isolating himself from the rest of the boys.
This connectedness with nature is aptly depicted in the images illustrating Simon's final departure. The tiny ocean creatures seem to be acting in reverence to Simon's body. They gather at the edge of the ocean and then around his head like a farewell party there to provide a solemn goodbye to an innocent, one who has become a victim of brutality.
...the creatures made a moving patch of light as they gathered at the edge.The strange attendant creatures, with their fiery eyes and trailing vapors, busied themselves round his head.
Golding clearly emphasises the absolute end of innocence in these images. Soon savagery and malice will triumph, for it is not long after that that Piggy is killed and the conch is destroyed. Jack's dictatorial rule results in Sam and Eric being captured, leaving Ralph alone, exposed and vulnerable. He soon becomes prey for Jack and his hunters who maliciously set out to hunt him down and kill him.
Simon, as it were, depicts spirituality and man's innate goodness. He was the one who was always prepared to assist Ralph to build shelters and care for the littluns. Although he was frail and suffered from epilepsy, Ralph instantly recognised that he was good and different to the others and, therefore, when he and Jack went to explore the island, he became an easy choice for Ralph to accompany them. Simon was also deeply intuitive and prophetic, foreseeing the impending danger and Ralph's eventual rescue.
It is in this regard then, that he attempted to explain that the beast was within them, a concept that the others could not comprehend. To prove his point, he courageously went out by himself to find evidence that the beast, in fact, did not exist. In this venture, he also suffered hallucinations and experienced a deep spiritual encounter with the lord of the flies, a pig's head stuck on a stick.
In a hallucinatory state, after he had had a fit, he conversed with it. It was there that he confirmed the fact that malice is an innate quality present in all men. His exploration also lead him to discovering the dead parachutist, who Sam and Eric had identified earlier as the beast.
It is tragically ironic then, that Simon's attempt at informing the boys about his discovery and the true nature of their fear, results in his death. When he appears out of the foest, exhausted and filthy, during a lightning storm, the boys who are in a frenzy believe that he is the beast and attack him, brutally killing him. His body is left on the beach and later washes out to sea. The fact that the body is surrounded by a phosphorescent light highlights Simon's spirituality and his innate goodness. He is sacrificed, as it were, and becomes an unfortunate victim of the boys' malice.
No comments:
Post a Comment