Lord Of The Flies Essay.

Lord Of The Flies Essay

By: Candice Williams

In the turbulent times of today’s society, fear seems to be an emotion that all humans can relate to. In the novel Lord Of The Flies, William Golding uses this idea of fear to draw to readers in and give them the ability to empathize with the characters. In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the boys do not possess any fear. As the story progresses the boys become fearful of the unknown. They are afraid of the beast, but most importantly they fear they may not be saved. This will be explained through an examination of the boy’s fear of the beast, their longing to be rescued, and their fear of each other.

Fear of the unknown governs many people’s lives. This is especially true of the stranded boys when the first come across sight of the beast they have no idea what it is therefore, naturally they are fearful of it. This fear generates the nickname “The Thing”. ‘Did you hear that? Says he saw the thing in the dark-’ ‘He still says he saw the beastie. It came and went away again an’ came back and wanted to eat him-’ (Page 35). The lack of information concerning “ The Thing” causes some boys not to believe in it. ‘ The ...

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After a few days of bliss in paradise, it begins to become evident that they may not be rescued. This thought is another contributor to their growing list of fears. ‘I’ve been watching the sea. There hasn’t been the trace of a ship. Perhaps we’ll never be rescued.’ (Page 43) The boy’s acted maturely and came together to make a fire, that way anyone on a boat traveling by would know there is life on the island. ‘There’s another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire!’ (Page 37)

They become so fearful of the beast that they start to fear each other. Simon’s death is a primary example of this, their ridiculous suspicion of Simon being the beast that they brutally murder him. ‘Simon’s dead body moved out towards the open sea.’(Page 170) Piggy’s and Simon’s death bring the horrifying nightmares to the boys. They were sympathetic of each other as each of them spoke of their dreams. ‘The vivid horror of this, so possible and so nakedly terrifying, held them all silent.’ (Page 91)

As the story opens, the stranded boys are fearless. The only thing they are worried about in the first chapters is when dinnertime is, where their parents were and when someone will find them. As the book progresses the boys fears come about when they discover the beast and realize that they may be stranded forever. They are also fearful of the unknown, as a result by the end of the story fear rules the island and the boys are living in a nightmare.