Biochemical Reactions In Lord Of The Flies

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” Franklin D Roosevelt. According to Ralph Adolphs research article The Biology of Fear, an emotional response induced by a perceived threat that will instantly change the brain and organ function is what defines fear. Fear is said to be the most powerful human emotion, which played a vital role in the survival of our ancestors. Adolphs research conveys that biochemical and emotional reactions are the two stages of fear. The biochemical reaction is universal, consisting of physical aspects such as increased heart rate, high adrenaline levels, and sweating. This response mechanism is known as the “fight or flight” system, in which the body prepares itself to either engage or run away from battle.

He was a British poet, novelist, and playwright. Golding is best known for his book Lord of the Flies which received a Nobel Prize and is still a discussion in todays lectures. Lord of the Flies is about a group of British schoolboys that crash into a deserted island from an evacuating plane during a war. In many attempts to govern themselves until rescued, they become destructive and uncivilized creating a harmful environment. The protagonist named Ralph uses a conch to bring order to the island assigning responsibilities to each boy. Conflict rises when Jack the antagonist diverts from the civilized lifestyle Ralph is trying to maintain and resorts to a life of savagery. Jack uses the boys fear of a mystical beast and the supply of meat to divide and conquer, putting him in a leadership position. His group becomes hunters all the while antagonizing Ralphs group which only consisted of Piggy and Sam, creating an atmosphere of violence. In an interview with James Keating in 1962, William Golding said his purpose for writing this story was to show a scaled down society while using fear as an essential plot of occurring events that lead to self-destruction and the ruination of a utopia-like