“All men need gods” (Guillemets). Homer is right; all men can use a god. We need support, hope and a way to control the masses. Within the classic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, there are many religious symbols. Lord of the Flies is best read as a religious allegory because Simon is a Jesus figure, Ralph and Jack are like Cain and Abel, the boys start to create a pagan type religion and treat the beast like a god. There are many examples of Simon seemingly acting selflessly and completely, almost like Jesus. Just like Jesus, Simon not only stopped to help the children, but also got the best he could for them. Simon “found for [the little ones] the fruit that they could not reach,” and not only chose it for them, but also “brought out the choicest fruit” (Golding 74). Simon stopped and selflessly helped the little ones just as Jesus or a saint would have done. Simon gave up his meat for the pig when Jack wouldn't give the meat to the pig. Just like Jesus, Simon “gave it to [Piggy]” and shared with him “[the] body” and meat of the pig (Luke 22:19). Simon was selfless when he did this, but also remember Luke 22 in the Last Supper. Simone didn't know that this would be his last supper. This Bible passage provides many examples of Jesus' selflessness. Simon was passive and nonviolent, just like Jesus. Simon “was given a grave among the wicked” and “though he did no violence” and “there was no deception in his mouth” was still slaughtered (Isaiah 53:9). Those who killed Simon were evil and ferocious and thought Simon was a threat, just as the Romans thought Jesus was a threat. Simon was blameless, he had done nothing wrong, yet he was brutally beaten and murdered. Simon is a Jesus there...... in the center of the card ......the art of leaving is disturbingly similar to pagan sacrifices to pagan gods. Simon is a Jesus figure, Ralph and Jack are like Cain and Abel, and the boys begin to have a pagan religion and treat the beast like a god; supporting the theory that Lord of the Flies can best be read as a religious allegory. Golding was trying to show that references to God and religion are everywhere. The need for religion and hope drives many people to display religious symbols in their art. Everyone loves something; everyone needs religion and religious symbols. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 1954.Guillemets, Terri. “Quotes on Religion.” The garden of quotes. 02/04/2010New international version: containing the Old and New Testaments with apocrypha. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.