Answer to Question #285433 in English for Kelsey Jand

Question

Lord of the Flies Study Guide Questions

Direction: Your answers need to be thorough, and where possible, quote the text (with citation).

Chapter 8

Foil: Simon is the only character who does not feel morality as an artificial imposition of society. For whom might he be a foil? Explain.

Answer 1

Simon’s morality and goodness are a way of life that proceeds directly and easily from nature. Lord of the Flies is deeply preoccupied with the problem of fundamental, natural human evil amid which Simon is the sole figure of fundamental, natural goodness. In a wholly nonreligious way, Simon complicates the philosophical statement the novel makes about human beings, for he represents a completely separate alternative to the spectrum between civilization and savagery of which Ralph and Jack are a part. In the end, Simon is both natural and good in a world where such a combination seems impossible.

Jack might be the foil because he is friendly and nice instead of rude and hurtful.