Dumont 1

Zachary Dumont
English 2 Honors
May 22, 2013
Lord of Religion
Every reader looks to expand their story even after they have finished their book.
Hidden allegories have been imbedded in almost every story throughout literature. In
Lord of the Flies, William Goldings use of religious allegory gives this novel a deeper
spiritual meaning, peeling back the layers of the origin of man, and the fall as well. In
this story, the characters beliefs prove to be their reason, and their spears, their
jurisdiction. Though they are just young boys, they represent so much more in the story
than just a role. They become the voice of reason, law, and the figures that carry out
these allegories.
In the beginning of the story, two boys emerge into the lush jungle. They walk
through the mass of trees and bush, with thorns in one of the boys clothing. As they
make it to the shore of the beach, they immediately begin removing all trace of clothing.
The boys then bask themselves in the sun, and the freedom the island brings. This is
the first religious allegory, The Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Eden, God creates the
first human, Adam. He then creates the first woman, Eve. The two boys are Ralph and
Piggy, and how they react with their environment is the first connection between these
two texts. Both of these characters in either story are either nude or become nude to
represent their inner most innocence in the beginning of their journey (10; Nudity as
Mentioned in the Bible).

Dumont 2
The Garden of Eden connection continues. As the boys in Lord of the Flies start to
gather more survivors from the crash, the personalities begin to mix. Ralph is the main
protagonist while Jack is the main antagonist, which becomes more apparent as the
story progresses. While the different boys start to interact, the littluns are made into a
group. In this group, hallucinations begin. One day, when the boys have a meeting, one
of the main characters Piggy, brings forward a littlun to speak. Ralph tries to listen to
what the boy will say. Piggy becomes the interpreter, and asks He wants to know what
youre going to do about the snake-thing (35). Thus the second connection, the snake.
The first signs of evil in Lord of the Flies is the appearance of a snake, the same with
The Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Eden, the snake represents Satan, and beguiles
Eve to eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. This act of carelessness and
defiance, results in the banishment of Adam and Eve from paradise. In Lord of the Flies,
as soon as the hint of a beast in the forest is made, all paradise that was once there
completely vanishes and it plunges them into the beginnings of their hell. (The First
Human Beings and the Garden of Eden; 35)
Another religious allegory, in Lord of the Flies is the figure of Jesus Christ. Simon 1,
one of Jacks companions, is small, awkward, and kind. He generally helps out
everyone who he meets, and gives calming and relaxing advice to his peers. In the
beginning of the story, he is one of Jacks choir boys. As the story progresses he
befriends Ralph, but despite his friendships that he makes he becomes isolated from
the group. Even though he was who he was The ancient Judaism cast off Jesus and
1 Though Simon is thought to be a Christ figure, some have argued that he is actually an
analogue of Christs apostle Simon Peter. Reasons for this is Simon Peter displayed similar
characteristics and acts as Simon does in the story. In Simon Peters life he is killed for similar
reasons and is giving as Simon is. (Kruger 167).

Dumont 3
his followers (Votaw 101). He was still scolded by his peers. Jesus is hailed as the
holiest of the holy, but was marked as the son of God by his Baptist; John. He was
giving and kind as a young boy, as one is lead to believe, and displayed common
characteristics of a perfect being. Simon is similar, there is one scene where he gives to
the littluns, instead of taking for himself. Simon found for them the fruit they could not
reach, pulled off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the
endless, out-stretched hands (56). In this same scene, we experience Simons
isolation. Just as Jesus isolates himself for prayer, Simon separates himself from the
entire group periodically. He is not praying, but having a seizure from his illness of
epilepsy. (Jesus Christ; 55-57)
Also, Jesus Christ was an enlightened human being. In his monastery days he
would perform miracles, lecture, and teach the disciples of Gods work. He even went
into his own isolation and fasted for forty days, and the devil tempted him constantly.
Simon experiences a similar case. He actually learns of the inert evil in the boys, and
defies the belief of a beast, but not directly. He asks them Whats the dirtiest thing there
is? (89). This hint is discarded by Jacks immaturity when he responds with scat. Simon
also goes through a situation thats similar to Jesus forty days. After the choir banshees
maul a sow, and place its head on a stick, Simon comes across it during one of his
episodes. He sees it and is lost in its gaze, he doesnt even realize hes talking to it. It
reveals itself as the Lord of the Flies, or Beelzebub. The following quote is a part of the
conversation that Simon has with Beelzebub, and the sudden realization that the beast
is not real:

Dumont 4
Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! said the
head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated
places echoed with the parody of laughter. You knew didnt you? Im part
of you? Close, close, close! Im the reason why its no go? Why things are
what they are? (143)
This leads into Simon, passing out from his seizure, and he lays in the clearing by the
head.
Simon then fulfills the last two parts to the Jesus embodiment. One night, two twins,
Samneric2, were keeping watch over the fire, when off in the distance a plane exploded
and a paratrooper drifted onto their mountaintop, the twins panicked and sprinted for
their lives thinking it was the Beast. Simon, now having this prophetic vision with the
devil, collects himself and staggers to the mountain with a sense drawing him in its
direction. He makes it, and goes to free the troubled soul. As he examines it, he begins
to become sick, but still forcing himself to look at it. He then frees the figure from its
torment, thus his connection to Jesus kindness.
Theres one more connection to Simon and Jesus, their deaths. Jesus, was killed
for his beliefs. He claimed himself to be the King of the Jews, which was correct. He
was performing miracles, healing his aggressors, and showing the light to his followers.
He was crucified for this. The Roman governor arrested him for this, and brought him to
the king, who sent him back finding nothing wrong with him. To feed the peoples
starvation for gore, the governor sentenced him to death by crucifixion. He was
2 Thought the names introduced seem as they are normal British names, their names are quite
significant. Ralph (the person), Samneric (good and evil), Jack (pride), Simon (love), Roger
(lust), and Maurice (joy). These names tell their characters and personalities in the story. (Martin
411).

Dumont 5
accused, and murdered for his beliefs, and trying to show his people the way. Simons
death is similar to Jesus. After freeing the paratrooper, he sees a campfire and most of
the boys surrounding it. He thinks to go and tell them of the news that there is no Beast.
He makes his leave from the mountain, when he stumbles from the forest, into their
campfire, his news could not calm them. As he breaks the ring of chanting, screaming
about the man on the mountain, they will not listen. They continue chanting and trying to
kill him thinking he was the Beast. He tries to get out of the circle, and stumbles onto the
beach. The mass collection of hunters swarmed over him and tears him apart. Rain falls
and reveals who they have killed. They were both massacred for trying to share their
beliefs and showing the way to their brethren. After Jesus was killed, three days after he
rose from the dead and left for heaven. After Simon is massacred, the moonlight shines
on him almost making him god-like with his skin shining. The ocean drifts onto the land,
and seems to pick up Simon and carry him out to sea, which is similar to Jesus travel to
heaven.
The final religious allegory in this novel is actually through. The constant
appearance, belief, and activity of Satan 3. From the beginning of this story Satan has
been involved in the corrupting of the youth on the island. He is the serpent the littluns
saw in the jungle, he is the paratrooper that fell from the sky, he is the sow head that
speaks with Simon, the painted masks, and lastly is the inert evil in the boys. In this
story Satan takes on a form like no other. He drives the boys to savagery by becoming
their obsession. He leads them to turn on each other, by making them think the Beast is
an actual animal, when its in them. The hunters, who were once the choirboys, form
3 Satan is the arch-angel banished from heaven when he rebelled against Christ. He has names
such as Prince of the Underworld, and Beelzebub. He rules hell, and his followers are demons,
and try to harm the living, or deceive them.

Dumont 6
their own religion idolizing Satan, the Beast. The hunters dance becomes symbolic as a
form of acceptance. The following quote displays that feeling. Piggy and Ralph, under
the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented by partly
secure society (152). This shows that even Ralph and Piggy might succumb to Satans
temptations.
The hunts that the boys go on become routine in this satanic religion, and their
painted faces show the Devil has enlisted them as their advocates, freeing them from all
civilized matters. The last hint of Satan, is that it completely takes over the boys that
follow him. On the second climax of the story, Roger, one of the choir boys, kills Piggy
willingly and without remorse, and on witnessing that, the boys go on a frenzy and go on
a hunt for Ralph.
From the beginning of this novel, religion has been secretly imbedded in it. William
Goldings use of religious allegory gave Lord of the Flies a deeper symbol as a novel. It
left the reader in shock at first read, but it has so many hidden meanings. The
allegories, irony, and even the characters names are significant. Lord of the Flies is one
of the most influential novels to have ever been written. The way it was written was so
simple, but had such a complex level and contained so many layers that its mindblowing. The religious allegory thats used in Lord of the Flies, leads the reader through
deeper, darker realms that the reader will be blown away by.

Dumont 7

Works Cited
"The First Human Beings and the Garden of Eden." Chabad.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2013.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: PERIGEE, 2006
Print
"Jesus Christ." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013
Kruger, Arnold. "Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES." Explicator 57.3 (1999): 167. Literary
Reference Center Plus. Web. 21 May 2013.
Martin, Jerome. "Symbol Hunting Golding's "Lord of the Flies"." The English Journal 58.3
(1969): 408-413. JSTOR. Web. 21 May 2013.
Robinson, B. A. "Nudity As Mentioned in the Bible." Religioustolerance.org. N.p., 16 Sept.
2007. Web. 17 May 2013.
Votaw Clyde W. The Modern Jewish View of Jesus JSTOR. JSTOR August 1905
Web May 5, 2013
Zavada, Jack. "Satan: Adversary If God and Man." Christianity.about.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 19
May 2013.