Simon¡s Role in William Golding¡s Lord of the Flies
             In William Golding¡s Lord of the Flies, the character Simon is important to the novel¡s theme of evil in human nature and the need to acknowledge this evil. Simon is a Christ figure and has the qualities of a peacemaker and prophet; these qualities allow him to give Ralph, the chief protagonist, insight into his own nature.
             Simon is a peacemaker because throughout the novel, he stops Jack from bullying Piggy and he stops the quarrels between Ralph and Jack. For example, when Jack is criticizing Piggy for not helping to build the fire, Simon says, ¡§We used his specs, he helped that way¡(46). This shows that Simon is constantly observing and trying to show his community the useful contributions of other boys. Simon also stops the conflict between Ralph and Jack. When Ralph and Jack are arguing about who is doing more work, Simon comes in and share the workload with them.
             Simon is a prophet because he can foretell the future and gain knowledge from a spiritual realm. Simon foresees the future when he tells Ralph, ¡§You¡ll get back to where you came from.¡(122). This prediction later turns out to be true. Simon later converses with the pig¡s head, which represents the Lord of the Flies and evil within all humans. The Lord of the Flies talks to Simon and makes him understand why things are going wrong in the island: ¡§Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn¡t? I¡m part of you? Close, close, close! I¡m the reason why it¡s no go? Why things are what they are?¡(158). Simon learns the beast or evil the boys fear is the evil they are born with. After his contact with the Lord of the Flies, he discovers that the ¡§beast from air¡ is only a dead parachutist. Simon frees the dead and decaying body; he does this to free the others from the feared beast. Like many other prophets, Simon is a
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