Fear is the most dangerous emotion when deserted on an island. One forgets what they are taught and relies on human instinct to survive. This is what the boys in Lord of the Flies experience when they are stranded without any contact with the outside world. They have to depend on each other to survive. While Jack’s group relies on human instinct and savagery in the face of danger and fear, Ralph wants to hold onto civilization, but in the heat of the moment, fear strips Ralph of formality. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies asserts that fear reveals the ugly face of human nature. When man does not understand something, his imagination will discount any common sense and create illogical creatures. Ralph asks the littluns about the beast,
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When it starts to rain during the feast, Jack orders his tribe to do their wild hunting dance. The boys begin chanting and dancing in circles on the beach. Eventually, all the boys join and get caught up in the dance when “A thing (crawled) out of the forest. [...] At once, the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, lept onto the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements, but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 152-153). Fear crept into the boys’ minds and forced them into savage and sadistic acts. The boys mistake Simon for a beastie and murder him, allowing fear to bring out the ugly side of everyone on the island. Their instinct was to kill and tear Simon apart, and they allowed fear to control them into doing just that. Given these points, it is safe to conclude that as a result of fear, human nature displays itself. The boys kill each other because of a monster they make up since fear plants a seed of paranoia in their minds. When a person does not understand something or have enough information to use logic in a situation, his imagination will discredit any common sense and devise illogical conclusions due to fear. Additionally, fear is a spark for vicious behaviors in critical situations. Finally, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies establishes that fear reveals the ugly face of human
When it starts to rain during the feast, Jack orders his tribe to do their wild hunting dance. The boys begin chanting and dancing in circles on the beach. Eventually, all the boys join and get caught up in the dance when “A thing (crawled) out of the forest. [...] At once, the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, lept onto the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements, but the tearing of teeth and claws” (Golding 152-153). Fear crept into the boys’ minds and forced them into savage and sadistic acts. The boys mistake Simon for a beastie and murder him, allowing fear to bring out the ugly side of everyone on the island. Their instinct was to kill and tear Simon apart, and they allowed fear to control them into doing just that. Given these points, it is safe to conclude that as a result of fear, human nature displays itself. The boys kill each other because of a monster they make up since fear plants a seed of paranoia in their minds. When a person does not understand something or have enough information to use logic in a situation, his imagination will discredit any common sense and devise illogical conclusions due to fear. Additionally, fear is a spark for vicious behaviors in critical situations. Finally, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies establishes that fear reveals the ugly face of human