Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?
There are quite a few characters that are important in this story, but I shall only go in depth with three of them. Ralph: the good, Jack: the evil, and Simon: the needed. Though Simon is the only of these three that died, he is equally, if not more, important than the other two, and that is why he is my favourite character in the novel.
Ralph, basically, is the protagonist of this story. He is the good guy. He is elected cheif through democracy and tries his hardest to make a good society out of the stranded boys. However, not all are pleased with his ideas.
Jack Merridew is the primary antagonist of The Lord of the Flies. He is the bad guy, disapproving of Ralph being cheif. Disapproving of the rules he makes. Disapproving of the lack of freedom. He wants to have fun. He wants to hunt... and kill the huntee.
Those two I just went over breifly because that's not who I want to talk about. Who I really care about, is Simon. If asked who the main character was I would go with Ralph in a literatural point-of-view. But if you asked me who the main character was in a theme-related point-of-view, definately Simon. Simon is a Christ figure in this book, fighting against the Lord of the Flies, just as Jesus Christ fights against Satan. He dies trying to save everyone else, just as Jesus did. He is hte main character of The Lord of the Flies.
-Tanner-
PS: More can be found about them in my "symbolism" blog...
Monday, March 03, 2008
Posted by t.mid at 4:55 AM
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7 comments:
Okay, I'm going to do this as briefly as I can. Did you look at sparknotes? I won't blame you if you did, but I sort of think you did. The Simon - Jesus relationship is pretty emphasized in there. But really, I don't think Simon can actually be seen as a true Christ figure. First, Simon doesn't show off any miracles or tell the boys to repent. Sure, he dies trying to save everyone else, but he failed. In contrary, his death is what triggers the wall between moral and savagery to fall. Besides, faith in Christ is supposed to lead to salvation. What good would believing in Simon do? Of course, there might have been a difference if the boys had followed Simon...
Also, you went over Jack as a simple antisocial who is pretty violent. Just some stuff to add to his profile: cunning, proud, bloodthirsty, and true to his instincts. Jack was more of a rebel who disapproved of the rules; he was a true dictator who knew how to turn things to his advantage and loved power more than anything else.
Last thing I wanted to tell you: Ralph isn't as good as he seems to be. Sure, he was popular at first, he valued rational thinking and moral, plus he was a good guy. Yeah. But don't forget, Ralph also participated in the dance that murdered Simon. Ralph has that beast inside him, whcih leave probably Simon as the only character who is truly good.
First of all, I'd like to point out that I DID NOT use SparkNotes, cuz that's just cheap. So YOU must have used SparkNotes if it sounds similar. (hypocrite^^ haha jk) You can't compare something that you know nothing of.
Secondly, you noted that my post and deep explenation for these three boys was slightly short. I had done my "symbolism" blog before I realized I had to do one about characters, so must of my ideas are in there.
Thirdly, Simon is more of a Christ figure than you realize. You're pointing out the stuff that Jesus did that Simon didn't, but what you fail to see is the similarities between the two. Of course Simon can't do miracles or save them from death; he's but a simple child, with mental issues to top that. That's where the term Christ-"figure" comes in. He is not Christ, cannot redeem themselves from sin, etc. but he did all that was possible for him to do to look like Christ.
Lastly, who are you apple gum? You're tearing me apart, here. I feel so dumb... T-T
I think you have to add some more facts into both Ralph and Jack, the two main characters having the largest conflict in the book. You have said ‘tries his hardest to make a good society… not all are pleased with his ideas’ in this answer. I think that more facts are needed in this statement. First of all, Ralph did not have enough leadership to control the stranded boys. Not only did he fail to rescue them from the evil wrath of Jack, he failed to control himself while killing Simon. For a moment, he has become what he has despised in the sight of maddened glee, like Jack.
Also about Jack, your description just says that he is a boy of ignorance who just disagrees with Ralph. He was a character who loved authority, blood, violence, and the power for control. The reason he did not like Ralph’s ideas was because he was way too civilized. Though Jack was cruel and bloodthirsty to the point, his ‘leadership’ to attract others into becoming his men was stronger than Ralph, and that’s why he was the one who obtained victory at the last. I think mentioning more about these ideas will make your thought clearer.
But I agree with what you said about Simon. His death – which was actually meant to be used to save them – may have caused more brutality and the loss of civilization, but his idea to save them by his own sacrifice was admirable. His attempt to rescue Jack and the others was what it made him look like Jesus Christ, not his death. :)
I agree, y.j.b. Thanks
I agree with you about how you described Ralph and Jack. But how you described Simon, I dont' agree. Would he be seen as a Christ figure? His actions, to be honest, are nothing like Christ. When Jesus Christ came down to Earth, he spread his words and teachings. And, by sacrificing himself on the cross, he led us to salvation. But, Simon, in the contrary, died before he could tell the boys what he realized. And after his death, the boys broke apart even more, and their actions led to killing another person, which is NOT like Christ at all.
I agree with your outline of the characters. Ralph did stand for justice and order while Jack did his best to bring their makeshift "law & order" come down for savagery. Simon was also my favorite character. He carries a somewhat mystical mood around him that promotes him above other characters. His death was indeed sacrificial and the image of Jesus resurfaced in my mind as I read that scene. I like how you've laid out your characters and agree very much with what you have to say.
Good Job!
- James
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