Simon (1990)

The boundary between the real and the internal. The film conveys this with restraint: instead of an extended hallucination, there are short, disturbing moments where the outside world seems to blend with his inner fears. Phrases and speech features In the film adaptation, Simon doesn't have the iconic lines he does in the book, but his manner of speaking is recognizable:

A man of few words. He speaks briefly, without unnecessary words, as if he's saving his words for something truly important. A calm intonation. Even in tense scenes, he doesn't break into shouting, but speaks evenly, sometimes a little quieter than the others—and this makes his words especially weighty. Direct naming of things. If he understands something, he doesn't beat around the bush: he simply says what he sees, without embellishment.

Simon is a quiet, sensitive boy, whose kindness seems especially fragile against the backdrop of growing cruelty. He doesn't seek attention, but is always ready to help: for example, he goes alone into the forest at night to fetch water. His main truth is simple and terrifying: the monster isn't outside, but within the fear of the boys themselves. He strives to convey this truth, and it is precisely this truth that destroys him.

Simon's speech is minimal, but each word carries weight: he doesn't shout or argue, but calmly calls things by their proper names. The themes resonating in his character are compassion, loneliness, and the clash of quiet truth with universal panic. And the film's key theme: even the brightest and most sincere spirit is easily extinguished in a place where fear and blind rage reign.

One more detail: in this adaptation, all the boys are American, and they attend an unnamed American military boarding school.

The end result is a rather touching portrayal: Simon acts as a voice of kindness and common sense, but his tragic death shows how fragile this kindness is in the face of widespread panic and cruelty. He's also a selfless boy—he genuinely cares for others and even goes into the forest alone at night to fetch water. Finding the pilot's body in a cave, he rushes to warn the others, but in the darkness and general panic, he's mistaken for a monster and killed. The film also softens one of the book's key scenes: instead of an extended vision of "Lord of the Flies," there's only a brief, almost fleeting glimpse of a pig's head. Thus, Simon's character sounds like a fragile voice of goodness, left without a place in a world consumed by fear. In the film, Simon is a quiet, collected boy who keeps aloof, yet feels the pain of others more acutely than others. He is distinguished by:

Compassion and responsiveness. He doesn't wait for someone to order or organize help: if others are in trouble, he simply does what he thinks is necessary (like going for water). A penchant for solitude. It's important for him to be alone, to retreat into the forest—not out of rebellion, but to restore his inner balance and gain insight. Honesty and directness without aggression. He doesn't seek to argue or prove his point by shouting, but he also doesn't pretend when he understands the truth. Fragility and vulnerability. He lacks the toughness that helps him survive the group's escalating cruelty, and this is precisely what makes him particularly touching and vulnerable. Themes and motifs characteristic of him Truth versus fear. Simon is the first to understand that the "monster" isn't an external threat, but something born of panic and darkness within. It's important to him to convey this truth, even if others don't want to hear it. Caring as action. His kindness is not abstract: it manifests itself in concrete actions, in a willingness to risk oneself for others.

In the 1990 film adaptation of Lord of the Flies, Simon is portrayed as a quiet, sensitive, and selfless boy—he genuinely cares for others and even goes into the forest alone at night to fetch water. Finding the pilot's body in a cave, he rushes to warn the others, but in the darkness and general panic, he is mistaken for a monster and killed. The film also softens one of the book's key scenes: instead of an extended vision of Lord of the Flies, there remains only a brief, almost fleeting glimpse of a pig's head. Thus, Simon's image sounds like a fragile voice of goodness, for which there is no place in a world consumed by fear. I would say that in this version he was shown first and foremost as a kind, empathetic and very independent guy.

Here are some traits and actions that highlight this:

He's one of those people who genuinely cares about the well-being of others. For example, at the beginning of the film, when one of the boys complained of thirst, Simon went into the forest alone at night to look for water. He is prone to solitude and often disappears into the forest for long periods of time. There's a key moment in the plot: Simon finds the body of a dead pilot (Captain Benson) in a cave (thought by many to be the "Beast's" home). He realizes the boys aren't afraid of a person, but merely a shadow or something unidentifiable. To warn the others, he runs to Jack's campfire and waves a glowstick. But in the darkness and their excitement, the other boys mistake Simon for the monster—and in a panic, they kill him with spears. The film also omitted one crucial scene from the book. In the novel, Simon literally talks to the "Lord of the Flies" (a pig's head on a stick)—a hallucination caused by his epilepsy. In the film, this powerful metaphor was reduced to a couple of shots: Simon simply looks at the pig's head.