Biblical Symbolism Motif in Lord of the Flies
· Written for English II
William Golding uses his Lord of the Flies allegory to argue that mankind is inherently evil. His use of Biblical symbolism is sound, and - in total - argues his thesis convincingly. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbolism varying from broad Biblical themes of sin as the Beast to directly comparing a character to Jesus of Nazareth. This part of his allegory, on top of the multitudes of unrelated symbolism, adds depth to Lord of the Flies and deepens the message that mankind is inherently evil. This essay will use both quotes from The Lord of the Flies and various translations of the Bible (CSB and King James’), which is indicated in the form of notation: (23) is LOTF, while (Job 3:1) is the Bible.
The most obvious of Golding’s Biblical allusions is the character Simon. At face value, Simon is a morally good character- and is in fact the only inherently good character in the novel. Take this excerpt from when he helped the hungry littluns by the fruit trees: “Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for [the littluns] the fruit they could not reach, pulled the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands,” (56). Simon is the only biggun in the story who goes out of his way to help the littluns. The key word from this quote is “choicest”: meaning “best” or “most desirable”. Simon cares enough for the littluns that he would specifically choose for them the best fruit from the tree. Additionally, Simon also came to Piggy’s defense when Jack mocked him. “‘We used [Piggy’s] specs,’ … ‘He helped that way,’” (42). Here, Simon likewise gives Piggy support. This defense of the weak, in the form of both the littluns and Piggy, shows Simon’s unchanging selfless nature and sets it up as a foil to the Beast that overtakes the other boys. Furthermore, presenting Simon as an exception shows that his selflessness is unique, deepening the message of mankind’s inherent evil.
This characterization does not mean much at face value beyond the fact that Simon is a good person. However, Simon’s generosity and selflessness is mirrored in the Bible by Jesus. Jesus is described and quoted here: “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’” (Act 20:35). In both this quote and those mentioned in the last paragraph, the giver is described as aiding the weak; and in both, the giver does “hard work”. Just as Jesus gives with his full effort, Simon gives the littluns the choicest fruit from up high in the trees. Just as Jesus is holy and without sin, Simon is the one boy on the island untempted by the Beast.
Now consider the topic of the Lord of the Flies and the Beast that represents it. Upon first reading the story, one would be tempted to compare the Lord of the Flies to God- however, this would be erroneous as God demands no sacrifice. The Bible says “For [God] desire[s] steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings,” (Hosea 6:6). Because the boar’s head was given as an “offering” to the Beast, it should be clear that the Lord of the Flies is not representative of God but of Satan. Viewing the Lord of the Flies through this lens makes Simon’s interactions with it closely mirror the events of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness. In the Bible, Jesus is described: “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’” (Matthew 4:2-4). The key word here is “tempter”; the Beast is trying to tempt Simon, with talk of the “fun” he plans to have on the island. The Lord of the Flies and the Beast closely mirror the devil, as all three are representative of the sin that lies inherent in mankind. Jesus’ immediate answer, too, mirrors Simon’s unfaltering morality- both have a moral code that cannot be broken. Once again the thesis is deepened through the Biblical comparisons- by comparing Simon directly to Jesus and the Beast to Satan, one can see how the Beast applies to our own lives. Things like greed, violence, and bloodlust would be considered temptations from the Beast on the island.
The sin that lies inherent in mankind is further linked to the Beast by Simon’s observations. When the boys discuss the Beast, the discussion is mostly held around what kind of animal it may be- until Simon chances the observation that “‘What I mean is … maybe [the beast is] only us,’” (89). Simon states that the Beast may be “only [the boys]”, hinting that the real evil on the island is the animalistic urges inherent to themselves. The Beast is remarkably similar to the idea of sin in the Bible, and further mirrored by the fact that Jesus warned of that very same sin. Simon is the one who understands the evil on the island; a Messiah, or Christ-figure. “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work,” (John 3:8). The “devil” described here is remarkably similar to the Beast mentioned before. This symbolism provides deep meaning to the Beast, and deepens the message of the book by mirroring the boys with all of humankind. Like a good symbol should, it links to a wider idea: in this case, the battle of good and evil explored in the Bible.
The juiciest symbolism of the entire book is located during the murder of Simon. As most are aware, Jesus was crucified as he tried to warn mankind of their sin- likewise, Simon “… was crying out against the abominable noise, something about a body on the hill,” (152). As Simon was murdered, he still tried to tell the boys of the Beast- to his last breath he warned of the evil within them. This is symbolic of his selfless nature, and is an effective symbol because it links to the crucifixion of Jesus in the Bible. Furthermore, this chapter describes the boys animalistically: “There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws,” (153). This description, particularly the words “teeth and claws”, alludes to the boys as beasts- proving Simon’s fear that the Beast was within them. When Simon dies, his body is swept out to sea, which mirrors Jesus’ empty grave and ascension to heaven. This use of symbolism is solid and deepens his message of mankind’s evil by comparing the boys to the men who crucified Jesus.
The core allegory of the story is greatly improved by Golding’s use of Biblical symbolism. These quotes and comparisons show Golding’s use of the Devil and sin as the Beast, as well as his use of Jesus and moral goodness as Simon. All boys succumb to the temptation to a degree except Simon- cementing his place in the story as the would-be savior and Christ figure. These motifs hint at the deeper conflict between the boys and the temptation of the Beast, which adds complexity to the story and gives it a religious context. Golding himself was a Christian, so it gave the story a degree of relatability to himself and those he was close to, which improved the impact of the core thesis that mankind is inherently evil.