Simon

Simon is the character in Lord of the Flies that represents benevolence, and his occasional trips to his hideaway in the woods give him opportunities to express his thoughts to himself and not be judged by the other boys who find him weird. Though he is viewed by the other boys as slightly odd, in reality, he observes situations more rationally than most of them. For example, as the boys progressively worry themselves about the "beast" on the island, Simon proposes another possibility, "Maybe there is a beast....maybe it's only us." This quote expresses Simon's sole realization of the truth- that the society created by the boys on the island is potentially dangerous because it is governed by the irrational fear of the "beast".

Vocabulary

Embroiled, 92- 1. To bring into discord or conflict 2. To throw into confusion

Piggy, finding himself uncomfortably embroiled, slid the conch onto Ralph’s knees and sat down.

Strident, 16- having quality of harsh sound: creaking, grating

…the note, fluking up an octave, became a strident blare more penetrating than before.

Enmity, 14- deep-seated, often mutual hatred

He trotted through the sand, enduring the sun’s enmity…

Declivities, 49- downward slopes of the ground

But Jack was pointing to the high declivities that led down from the mountain to the flatter part of the island.

Befouled, 141- filthy, soiled

The green light and the glossy patches of sunshine played over their befouled bodies.

Gesticulating, 142- making or using gestures in an excited manner

“We was scared!”, said Piggy excitedly… He was gesticulating, searching for a formula.

Ensconce, 174- to shelter or cover securely

…ensconce himself so deep that only a crawler like himself could crawl through.

Scurfy, 100- covered with dead, scaley matter from the skin

…the skin of the body, scurfy with brine.

Gyration, 65- the act of revolving or whirling

He went on scrambling… Jack broke out of his gyration and stood facing Ralph.

Festoon, 86- to cover wth a string or chain of flowers

Here the breeze was fitful and allowed the strings of the parachute to tangle and festoon.