In Lord of the Flies, compare and contrast Ralph and Simon; both seem to be good characters. Is there a difference in their goodness?Explain how...

In an analysis of Simon, he is considered a Christ-like
figure. He is a picture of goodness. Previously to his death, he was rushing to tell the
boys that there is no beast. He had determined that the beast was the parachutist. He
cared about the others. He did not want them to be worrying about a beast that does not
exist.

Also, Simon was always kind enough to feed the
littluns. The littluns could not reach the fruit, so Simon would pick the fruit and feed
them. This proves how much he cared about others. At other times, Simon would try to
reassure Ralph that everything would be okay. When Ralph was worried about the fire
going out, Simon assured him they would be rescued. Simon tried to make Ralph smile.
Indeed, Simon is Ralph's helper:

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Among all the boys, it is Simon whose behavior is
perhaps the most exemplary during the first part of the story. He is Ralph's faithful
helper in building the
shelters.

Ralph is a born
leader:

He is
'sunny and decent, sensible and considerate.' He seems to be genuinely interested in the
welfare of the entire group and can get along with all kinds of
people.

While Ralph is
concerned with everyone's welfare in building shelters, he does not appear to be the
better man while witnessing the killing of Simon. He is in some ways responsible for
Simon's death. He did not try and stop the boys from murdering Simon. For this reason,
he feels guilty which shows that he still has a heart for what is right and
wrong:

The
shame that Ralph, Piggy, Sam, and Eric all feel the day after Simon's death, despite
their attempts to ignore it, show that civilized values still have some hold on them.
Yet the incident marks an important turning point in the story, for it is the first time
that the boys have deliberately killed one of their
own.

No doubt, Ralph is
deeply troubled over Simon's death. He is also afraid of being harmed himself later in
the story. Overall, Ralph maintains an effort to do the right thing. He tries to keep
the fire burning. He tries to keep order. He never gives in to Jack and his savage
ways.

While Ralph is fleeing for his very life, he runs
into the naval officer and realizes he is rescued. Ralph's goodness is evident when he
loses his composure, sobbing for the losses of Simon and
Piggy:

Ralph
breaks down and sobs, mourning Simon and mourning
Piggy.