Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, the graves broke open and many of God's people who had died were raised to life" (Matthew 27.51).

Once fear overtakes the rational thinking that initially exists on the island, the effects are noticeable in the way the society is run. Ralph recognizes what is happening to their society, and makes his statement on the platform: "Things are breaking up. I don't understand why. We began well; we were happy and then -- people started getting frightened" (82). The boys begin to subtly undermine Ralph's authority as appointed chief, and as their respect for him falters, so does the stability of the community. Ralph is annoyed by the littluns disregard for the rule of what locations on the island can be used as lavatories. He realizes that if they continue to "use anywhere," then eventually the island will be covered in filth (80). This is symbolic of how a disregard for appointed authority could cause a growth of evil on the island. In addition, the fact that eating fruit causes the boys' diarrhea mirrors the experience of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge was, according to Dick, the first sin, "... whose effects the boys, like all humanity, have inherited. The excrement they leave behind is a vestige of the primal sin" (Dick, "Golding" 28).

e novel, Golding attempts to teach the reader about the darkness that lies within us all and how we can protect ourselves from and contain this "beast." The Christian symbolism is used as a mechanism to show how Christianity, and religion as a whole, can offer protection from the evils of human nature.

This is a clearly a reflection of Jesus' blessing of the children, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Luke 18.15). It also brings to mind the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, where Jesus fed the multitudes who had come to hear him. Other examples of Simon's compassion are common. At one point in the novel, he offers his meat to Piggy without being asked, a simple act of charity that Piggy accepts gratefully. Another example of Simon's merciful nature occurs shortly before his death when he goes up on the mountain top to view the "beast," and finds a dead parachutist hanging from a tree. Although repulsed by this sight, he frees the parachutist, ultimately allowing the corpse to fly out to the sea. Simon sees that no man is an island. He is, in a sense, the dead airman, and, therefore, relates to him and feels for him (Whitley 49). This willingness to set aside his personal needs and feelings to take care of others shows his Christ-like nature. Christ was sent to save us from our sins, to make us understand them and their inevitable power over us. Similarly, Simon makes the boys aware of the "beast" so they can, in turn, contain it.

Flower and fruit grew together on the same tree and everywhere was the scent of ripeness and the booming of a million bees at pasture. Here the littluns who had run after him caught up with him. They talked, cried out unintelligibly, lugged him towards the trees. Then, amid the roar of bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for them the fruit that they could not reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless outstretched hands. When he had satisfied them he paused and looked round. The littluns watched him inscrutably over double handfuls of ripe fruit (56).

Simon is killed in this tribe-like dance, a fate that is as "ironic as it is inevitable"(Swisher 71). He is killed as the beast, while trying to impart that there isn't one.

The most gentle, compassionate, and unbeastly of the boys is mistaken for the beast and killed by a frenzied crowd, as Christ was killed by the Jews who thought him to be a blasphemer and a false prophet. This reenactment of Chr

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dick Golding, Joseph Arimathea, Lord Flies, Baker Golding, Kingdom God, Jack Piggy, Adam Eve, Simon Christ, Throughout Golding, Knowledge Evil, lord flies, beast simon, pig's head, original sin, adam eve, head stick, creatures fiery eyes, simon's death, boys aware, simon comes, nature beast, inquisitive bright creatures,
Approximate Word count = 3854
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)