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Chapter Three Discussion Questions_1

Chapter Three discusses the contrasting characters of Simon, Jack, and Ralph in the story, highlighting Simon's innate goodness compared to the moral erosion of the other boys. Golding suggests that the human impulse toward civilization is weaker than the impulse toward savagery, with Simon embodying a natural morality. The chapter also raises questions about the creation of believable characters within the narrative.

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Chapter Three Discussion Questions_1

Chapter Three discusses the contrasting characters of Simon, Jack, and Ralph in the story, highlighting Simon's innate goodness compared to the moral erosion of the other boys. Golding suggests that the human impulse toward civilization is weaker than the impulse toward savagery, with Simon embodying a natural morality. The chapter also raises questions about the creation of believable characters within the narrative.

Uploaded by

dhual.zel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter Three Discussion Questions

1. What do you like about the story so far?


2. Read the following and discuss how Simon, Jack, and Ralph differ.
Simon is kind and generous, helping the littluns reach fruit and helping Ralph build shelters for everyone.
He goes off by himself to marvel at the beauty of nature: his goodness seems to come from within him. All the
other boys, meanwhile, seem to have inherited their ideas of goodness and morality from the external forces of
civilization, so that the longer they are away from human society, the more their moral sense erodes. In this
regard, Simon emerges as an important figure to contrast with Ralph and Jack. Where Ralph represents the
orderly forces of civilization and Jack the primal, instinctual urges that react against such order, Simon
represents a third quality—a kind of goodness that is natural or innate rather than taught by human society. He
is a Christ-like figure.
In Golding’s view, the human impulse toward civilization is not as deeply rooted as the human impulse
toward savagery. Unlike all the other boys on the island, Simon acts morally not out of guilt or shame but
because he believes in the inherent value of morality. He behaves kindly toward the younger children, and he is
the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies—that is, that the monster on the
island is not a real, physical beast but rather a savagery that lurks within each human being. The sow’s head on
the stake symbolizes this idea, as we see in Simon’s vision of the head speaking to him. Ultimately, this idea of
the inherent evil within each human being stands as the moral conclusion and central problem of the novel.
Against this idea of evil, Simon represents a contrary idea of essential human goodness.

3. How has Golding managed to create such believable characters?

Chapter Three Discussion Questions

1. What do you like about the story so far?


2. Read the following and discuss how Simon, Jack, and Ralph differ.
Simon is kind and generous, helping the littluns reach fruit and helping Ralph build shelters for everyone.
He goes off by himself to marvel at the beauty of nature: his goodness seems to come from within him. All the
other boys, meanwhile, seem to have inherited their ideas of goodness and morality from the external forces of
civilization, so that the longer they are away from human society, the more their moral sense erodes. In this
regard, Simon emerges as an important figure to contrast with Ralph and Jack. Where Ralph represents the
orderly forces of civilization and Jack the primal, instinctual urges that react against such order, Simon
represents a third quality—a kind of goodness that is natural or innate rather than taught by human society. He
is a Christ-like figure.
In Golding’s view, the human impulse toward civilization is not as deeply rooted as the human impulse
toward savagery. Unlike all the other boys on the island, Simon acts morally not out of guilt or shame but
because he believes in the inherent value of morality. He behaves kindly toward the younger children, and he is
the first to realize the problem posed by the beast and the Lord of the Flies—that is, that the monster on the
island is not a real, physical beast but rather a savagery that lurks within each human being. The sow’s head on
the stake symbolizes this idea, as we see in Simon’s vision of the head speaking to him. Ultimately, this idea of
the inherent evil within each human being stands as the moral conclusion and central problem of the novel.
Against this idea of evil, Simon represents a contrary idea of essential human goodness.

3. How has Golding managed to create such believable characters?

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