ENTRY 29- SIMON´S BODY

Language 4 Entry Nª- 29

THE TIDE TAKES SIMON’S BODY INTO THE WATER


This is an extract from Lord of the Flies by William Golding, on chapter nine, the last lines of the chapter.
“Along the shoreward edge of the shallows the advancing clearness was full of strange, moonbeam-bodied creatures with fiery eyes. Here and there a larger pebble clung to its own air and was covered with a coat of pearls. The tide swelled in over the rain-pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver. Now it touched the first of the stains that seeped from the broken body and the creatures made a moving patch of light as they gathered at the edge. The water rose further and dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness. The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble. The strange, attendant creatures, with their fiery eyes and trailing vapours, busied themselves round his head. The body lifted a fraction of an inch from the sand and a bubble of air escaped from the mouth with a wet plop. Then it turned gently in the water.”

The sacrifice of Simon and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ are parallel images. His death was inevitable like Jesus’ death. When the transformed boys are killing Simon a terrible storm breaks. As if the voice of God was angry because they have killed his beloved son. The same happened when Jesus Christ was crossed, a terrible thunder frightened all the people and they run away terrified. When the boys realized what they had done to Simon they also run away. Jesus Christ’s head was illuminated with a bright light meaning he was God’s beloved son. Jesus is abandoned in the cross, Simon is left near the shore. Jesus was taken to Heaven , Simon was taken to the sea. By midnight the storm has passed , the clouds drifted away , the sky was clear and many stars shone. The light of the stars and the moon make Simon’s body visible for Piggy and Ralph. The description of the place where Simon is, is full of visual and auditory images. We can imagine the moonlight brightening his body, and when the tide comes we can listen to the smooth sound of the peaceful water covering his body. When the author says “the water rose further and dressed Simon’s coarse hair with brightness.” It is a metaphorical representation of some kind of divine light, worshipping Simon’s dead body, the water seems to be comforting him, and she takes his body with her. Now he cannot suffer any more from evil and cruelty of the boys.
It is clear that the boys have done something bad, they have worshipped evil, that is why the presence of fiery creatures in the night. His body is covered by silver jewellery , white light, symbol of innocence and good.
As Simon was a good character, I did not want him to die. But his death was unavoidable. After that, all the boys lost their innocence. They knew there was evil inside them.