Morality– the extent to which an action is right or wrong. It is the distinction between good and bad; morality can also be a system of values and principles of conduct, especially one held by a specific person.
Spirituality– a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves.
Martyr– a person who is killed because of their (religious) beliefs.
Is Simon a martyr? Why or why not?
I believe that Simon is a martyr because he was killed due to his beliefs that didn’t align with Jack’s or anyone else’s. Simon carried great intuition and generosity. His remarks about the beast displayed his deeper understanding and maturity. These qualities are not seen in any of the other boys. He is the martyr because is his attempt to warn and save the others, he was savagely beaten and killed. Due to his beliefs and his spiritual nature, he was seen as an outsider or “strange” according to the others.
How does spirituality lend itself to the pursuit of being a good person?
Spirituality puts a person on a “higher level” of consciousness with emphasis on spiritual thoughts and deeds. Spirituality leads to awareness about kindness, generosity, and allows one to not be plagued by the meaningless things in life. For example, in Lord of the Flies, Simon’s spirituality kept him away from savagery and from killing/ hunting. His spirituality allowed for acts of kindness and generosity.
What are saintly qualities?
Generosity, kindness, empathy, sympathy, patience and integrity.
Find three passages that highlight Simon’s good / spiritual /saintly qualities. Describe how they illustrate Simon’s character?
Simon’s goodness, spirituality, and saintliness were evident in several parts of the novel. In chapter 4, Jack refused to give Piggy some meat. Despite Jack’s objection, Simon shares some meat with Piggy. “Simon, sitting between the twins and Piggy, wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it” (page 78). This displays Simon’s generosity and goodness as he shares his food despite being in a situation where meat is limited. Simon’s helpfulness was evident in chapter 3 as he helped Ralph build shelters while the littluns played and Jack hunted. Ralph expressed his frustration by stating that “the littluns are hopeless. The older ones aren’t much better. All day I’ve been working with Simon” (page 51). This displays Simon’s helpfulness which is rare, especially on the island where there is a lack of responsibility and helpfulness. Furthermore, Simon also helps the littluns grab fruit. This was described in chapter 8 where his helpfulness towards the littluns was shown, contributing to his good qualities.
Answer the following question in a paragraph: How does the Simon’s behavior and his treatment by the other boys so far sit into the larger allegory of the story this far?
Simon is the incarnation of goodness and saintliness. Simon represents saintliness and a kind of innate, spiritual human goodness that is deeply connected with nature. The other characters in the novel abandon moral behavior as soon as civilization no longer imposes upon them; they are not innately moral but have simply been conditioned to act morally. Out of all the other children on the island, only Simon acts morally not out of some guilt or shame but out of his inherent value. Simon’s natural goodness baffles the boys and leads them to think that he is “strange” or that “he is queer and funny” (page 56). This results in the brutal murder of Simon.
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