Is Simon afraid of the forest?

Unlike the other boys on the island, Simon appears to be unafraid of the forest. The narrator tells us that Jack views the forest as “uncommunicative,” and Ralph opts to walk behind Simon when they enter into it. Jack’s first instinct upon discovering fresh animal droppings is to raise his spear, ready to kill whatever might be moving about. When the boys expect to find Simon at the bathing pool and he is not there, we find out that he had chosen to break off from the group and explore the forest, which further demonstrates how unafraid of the forest Simon is: he willingly goes into the forest to explore when it isn’t even necessary.
It could be argued that it was the fear of the forest felt by the other boys and Simon’s demonstrated connection with the forest that results in his death at the hands of the boys. He sees the beast as “harmless,” but in his disheveled state, the other boys see him as the beast, killing him while chanting, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” The novel alludes to Simon’s connection with nature after his death, as the rain blows sideways and the ocean takes the corpse away.