Comparing Fear In The Kite Runner And Lord Of The Flies

Since the beginning of humanity, fear has driven peoples’ actions. Fear, the natural response to danger, has saved people from hurting themselves and others. Without this natural instinct humans would be extinct. However, fear can take a person away from the path they wish to go. If left alone, fear can take over a person instead of saving them, making the thing they fear most, themself. In Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and Golding’s Lord of the Flies, fear is a driving force of the narrative. Despite differences in the use of characterization, conflict and imagery, both authors develop the theme that fear controls a person, leading them away from their ideals and principles.

To begin, both authors use characterization to build the theme that

fear pushes a person from their morals. In The Kite Runner Hosseini characterizes the main character, Amir, as cowardly throughout the novel. Such as when Amir witnessed the beginning of Hassan’s rape: “Assef yelped as he flung himself at Hassan, knocking him to the ground. Wali and Kamal followed. [Amir] bit on [his] fist. Shut [his] eyes”(73). His choice to take no action to stop his friend from being raped, shows his lack of courage. He could not face this horror, instead he merely closed his eyes. This decision then haunted him throughout the novel, as he feels guilty for betraying his greatest friend and letting fear control his actions. Similarly, Golding uses betrayal to characterize guilty people, but instead with a pair of twins, Samneric. The two twins remained loyal to Ralph throughout the story until they were forced into joining Jack’s tribe. When Ralph later met with them while they were on duty, “Memory of their new and shameful loyalty came to them”(269). Samneric had faltered in their loyalty to Ralph when they became threatened, and they felt “shameful” for it. They did not want to hurt Ralph, but once they were faced by danger, fear controlled their decisions. Without Samneric, Ralph had no allies left and could only face the tribe by himself. If it were not for Ralph being saved by a cruiser, he would have been killed by the tribe with no one to save him. The guilt and betrayal these characters face causes conflict in the two stories.
Furthermore, the use of conflict, in both books, furthers the theme of fear leading people away from their ideal self. Hosseini utilizes Amir’s inner conflict to advance this theme. Amir contemplated his inaction to save Hassan: “There was a monster… I was that monster”(86). Amir’s guilt over not taking action causes him to hate himself. His cowardice made him comparable to a monster in his eyes, and he could not be farther from his image of perfection. This harmful image of himself makes it more difficult for him to forgive and redeem himself. Unlike Hosseini, Golding uses conflict but displays it within two characters. After Simon was killed, Ralph and Piggy began discussing what had occurred. Piggy justified what they had done by saying, “It was dark. There was that—that bloody dance. There was lightning and thunder and rain. We was scared!”(224). The night of Simon’s murder, everyone could not help but join in. The panic caused by the situation led them all to lose control of themselves and become savages. Although Piggy and Ralph tried to avoid thinking of Simon’s death, they could not. It instead remained a constant reminder of their savage self, which they tried so hard to keep in control for the whole novel. From that point on, they are no longer innocent, they had committed murder and can never return to their original state. This powerful force of fear can be seen in not just the conflicts of the story but also the imagery.
Additionally, the power of fear in causing them to lose control is displayed by the imagery of both novels.

Hosseini uses imagery of the feeling of fear to illustrate its command. For instance, when Amir’s father was faced by a gun, Amir’s “[h]eart [was] pounding in [his] throat”(116). The discomfort caused by the terror made him unable to speak. He could not control himself and felt blocked. His inability to control his fear, in this instance, could have cost his father’s life. It is not until he finds courage in himself that he can overcome his fears. Contrarily, Golding uses imagery to illustrate the effects of fear on a character, rather than the feeling of fear. When Ralph was chased by Jack’s tribe like a pig, he hid in a pile of creepers. However, he was found by a savage, so he let out “a scream of fright and anger and desperation” that was “continuous and foaming” while he was “snarling [and] bloody”(286). It took a moment of pure fear to transform Ralph into a rabid animal. At a point of life or death, Ralph’s instinct pushed him to survival. Problematically, in this animalistic state, Ralph could hurt, or kill, a person because of his lack of humanity. Ralph spent the whole novel fighting to be civilized and eventually broke down, strayed from his goals. This last push makes it clear that Ralph could lose his humanity in the proper circumstances. If faced by a terror, he could become an animal once more. Ultimately, causing regret over his

actions.
Overall, fear’s power over choices can cause a person to let go of themself and their ideals. Hosseini and Golding support this theme in their novels with the use of characterization, conflict and imagery. Throughout both novels, the force of fear saves characters from potentially dangerous situations. For example, Amir’s cowardice prevented him from being dramatically injured, and Ralph’s animal instincts saved him from death. However, this led to the regrets and inner conflicts of the characters. Amir hated himself for his choices, and Ralph feared not only Jack but also himself. To prevent this neverending cycle of fear, courage must be built to face these fears, and self control must be put in place. If fear is prevented from overwhelming all decisions, a person can then have full control. To truly follow one’s expectations, a person must let themselves have complete authority over their decisions, and not another person, force or thing. It must be that person alone.