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How Does Golding Use Fear In Lord Of The Flies

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How Does Golding Use Fear In Lord Of The Flies
Fear in Lord Of The Flies
Sometimes fear of the unknown, can lead to one’s insanity. In “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, the boys on the island fear a beast, which darkens many of the boys and their thoughts. The constant fear on the island causes the boys to act out, resulting in the destruction of rules and civilization, however those who are able to overcome fear leads the reader to believe that there is some hope for goodness. In the novel, Jack is controlled by fear, Roger is energized by fear, and Ralph rises above it.

Fear has taken control over Jack, leading him to complete awful things. In chapter five, Ralph calls a meeting to talk about what is happening on the island. During the meeting, the boys bring up fear and the beast.
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At one of the meetings Ralph is talking to one of the littluns about the beastie he saw the previous night. Ralph denies the beastie twice by saying “but there is no beastie.” (pg 35) Right now Ralph is being stubborn. Although the beast is not real, he feels that he needs to repeat this certain fact multiple times, just to prove that he is right. When Ralph is running away from the painted savages, he comes across the “beast” who nearly kills Simon. He stands up to it, and knocks it down. “The skull regarded Ralph like one who brows all the answers and won’t tell. A sick fear and rage swept him. Fiercely he hit out at the filthy thing in front of him that, bobbed like a toy and came back still grinning into his face, so that he lashed and cried out in loathing. Then he was licking his bruised knuckles and looking at the bare stick, while the skull lay in two pieces, it’s grin now six feet across.” Ralph has successfully beaten the beast. He showed the boys that the beast should not control you. He also shows the beast that he is not afraid of him and will never be. He stands up to the the beast that everyone on the island was scared of. By this point in the novel Ralph has matured and fought off his fear. Ralph shows good leadership qualities because he showed no fear or

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