1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.
Thomas Foster once said that authors use references to the Bible to help summarize the message the author is trying to send. This is because we have been around Biblical references our whole life, so it is easier to relate to them. William Golding understands this, in his novel The Lord of the Flies, he uses the character Simon's path of enlightenment and death as an allusion to Jesus Christ. The allusion depicts the lost of innocence in the book's microcosm, showing the dark side of human nature.
Simon is one of the choir boys stranded on the island. But he is completely different in attitude. He is quiet and peaceful as oppose to the rowdiness of everyone else. He is also a naturally caring person much like Jesus. Simon prefers to spend most of his time in the forest, relaxing and being one of nature. It seems like that he is on a whole other level. Consequently, all the path reaches its end and Simon hallucinates the pig's head speaking about the true nature of humans. He becomes enlightened with the darkness of humans and tries to spread the word and save his fellow comrades. This is similiar to Jesus to being enlightented about God and his attempt to spread the message to save his fellow citizens. Golding's effort to depict Simon in this light is to be a foil to the the degrading of the people around him, or the unenlightented ones.
After learning of man's true nature, Simon realizes what he must do; he has to warn everyone to stop the destruction of their society on the island. He journeys back to the camp, only to be mistakened as the beast and murdered by the tribe. This parallels Jesus's betrayal by Judas and his crucifixation on the cross. Both are depicted as dying while being pure and trying to help others. Golding makes this connection to portray the lost of innocence in his novel.
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