Nov. 18th 2013
Analyze the interaction between Simon and the Lord of the Flies at the end of chapter 8.
The Lord of the Flies is a reference, as we know, to the Devil. Also, Simon has been previously described as a religious figure, the keeper of faith and hope. So this interaction is therefore a conversation between good and evil, God and the Devil. And the Devil is winning. He targets Simon's vanity and self-consciousness by calling him a silly little boy and asking him if he wants Ralph to think him batty. He also targets his fear, as he is a pig's head on a stick covered in flies. The Lord of the Flies continues the one-sided conversation by saying that he is the Beast, and it has been in Simon, in humans.
The repetition in this section cannot be missed. The Lord of the Flies uses silly little boy, and poor misguided boy multiple times throughout, and is trying to make Simon feel subservient and helpless. Golding also repeats how the Lord of the Flies is expanding; it was expanding like a balloon; it was a darkness that spread. The darkness is taking over Simon, the person most faithful and hopeful boy on the island. this speaks to its power and its dangerousness to the boys on the island and thus humans in the world.
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