Examples Of Fear In Lord Of The Flies

Fear in Lord of The Flies

In the novel Lord of the Flies, a group of English schoolboys are left stranded on an island after their plane is shot down during World War II. Without rules and structures of society and civilization, the boys on the island succumb to savagery and hysteria. Fear becomes the driving force that determines the ability of the boys in Lord of The Flies by William Golding have to control impulses and instincts. In other words, fear is what motivates many events to occur in the novel, including decivilization. While some argue that evil in mankind is inevitable and hereditary, an analysis of the symbolism in the post World War II novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding proves that fear reveals the evil of mankind due

to the resulting hysteria and savagery.
William Goulding's experiences in World War II is what ultimately influenced his view of humanity and the evils of which it was able to create and built an argument with which he was trying to justify. As a young man, William Golding graduated from Oxford, allowing him to work as an actor, director and writer. During World War II after England had entered the war, Golding joined the Royal Navy. From his experiences had a large impact on his view of humanity and the evils of which it was able to create. Therefore, Goulding goes on to create one of England’s most famous novels, Lord of the Flies. In other words the novel, which analyses the effect fear has on the human ability to control instincts and impulses. When the boy's face the reality of being stranded on a deserted island, they quickly come up with a plan for survival. The group members, especially Jack, slowly lose who they once were. Therefore this shows the effects that fear has on the human ability to function. “The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the men with megaphones. Some were naked and carrying their clothes; others half naked , or more or less dressed, in school uniforms, grey, blue, fawn, jacketed or jerseyed . There were badges, mottoes even, stripes of color in stockings and pullovers.” (Golding 18)
This takes place after the boys crash on the island, thus beginning the plot of the story.

The analysis of human evil is mostly based on Golding’s experience with World War II that featured non fictional violence and brutality. Golding quickly shows that when the boys are free from rules, they quickly turn to savagery. Some work for peace and order in order to achieve prosperity, whereas the others rebel and seek the leadership of corrupt and violent leaders. In World War II in a time of economic crisis, Germany turns to extreme dictatorship under Adolf Hitler’s reign. Due to the desperate times, Nazi’s joined in the effort to commit evil crimes to blame Jews and other groups for the condition of the economy. “Coming from Golding's Jack, these words effectively shatter Ballantyne's easy optimism. Conditioned no less by the theology of man's fall than by Nazi atrocities, Lord of the Flies traces the spreading stain of man's depravity from its first intimations in Jack to its near-total corruption of the boys and their social order.” (Friedman) It is with harsh times that enables people to surrender and follow under the evil leadership in order to achieve relief. Likewise, in Lord of the Flies the boys turn to Jack, whom they believe can help them to hunt for food. However, Jack begins to succumb to hysteria, causing him to murder Simon, along with other sacrificial killings. Throughout the novel, some boys in the group decide to join Jack’s tribe to avoid going hungry. “He’s not a hunter. He’d never had got us meat. He isn't a prefect and we don't know anything about him. He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing” (126) Thus, this example can be compared to Nazi’s following under Hitler’s dictatorship in an effort to remedy the economic downfall from World War I. In addition, Jack is able to manipulate the group into thinking that Ralph is not as valuable of a leader as

he.
Lord of the Flies features an immense amount of symbolism that helps to represent abstract ideas and concepts within the novel such as the impact that fear has on the ability of a human to control impulses and instincts. One instance of symbolism is represented in the conch shell. Piggy and Ralph discover the conch shell while walking on the beach at the beginning of the novel and promptly use it to bring the boys together after they are all separated due to the plane crash. In effect, the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of order, organization as well as civilization. “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch. The being that had blown that, had sat waiting for them on the platform with the delicate thing balanced on his knees, was set apart.” Although the shell eventually loses power, in the beginning of the novel the shell helps the boy’s meetings to run smoothly, and gave people who held the conch shell the right to speak. Furthermore, the conch shell is more than a symbol. In that it represents civilization and a form of democratic power. Additionally, the boulder that Roger rolls onto Piggy towards the end of the novel, crushes the conch shell as well, symbolizing the death of civilized nature within the boys on the island. “Yet Golding's symbolism is more suggestive rather than precise. Like the conch, the shell that cannot support the excessive reliance on it as a parliamentary symbol and becomes worn and bleached white like a skull, the Christian symbolism is pervasive and dramatic, but does not cohere in the patterns of Christian parable or duplication of the story of Christ.” In other words, the conch shell which was in the beginning of the novel as symbol novel and order, eventually is seen as irrelevant and worthless among Jack and his tribe. Thus signifying the end to instincts and order amongst the boys.
From being a World War II veteran, Goulding uses his platform of writing in order to communicate the effects of fear in creating human email as well as hysteria and savagery. The majority of the historical connection is to World War II, including the reign of Adolf Hitler. “...fear can't hurt you any more than a dream. There aren't any beasts to be afraid of on this island . . . Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!" (Golding 82) Adolf Hitler used the effect of fear on mankind to his advantage. Likewise, Jack who could possibly be analyzed as a corrupt dictator, used the effect that fear had on the group in order to create his tribe based on his desires. Jack, as the leader of his tribe created the ability for himself to manipulate others to tag along in his sacrificial murders. All while being seduced by the effect of fear that results in hysteria. “Conditioned no less by the theology of man's fall than by Nazi atrocities, Lord of the Flies traces the spreading stain of man's depravity from its first intimations in Jack to its near-total corruption of the boys and their social order.” (Friedman) The fall to evil can be easily compared to the fall of people to the evil ways of Nazi’s, which in effect can be tied to the way the boys in The Lord of the Flies fall to perform evil sacrifices and being brainwashed into hysteria.
Throughout the novel, Golding shows the ability that fear has on the human ability to control instincts and impulses and is able to show that fear can cause a person’s mental ability to decrease. The overall analysis of Lord of the Flies originates from the conflict between two competing instincts that coexist within human beings. One being, the instinct to live in an organized society containing rules and to act peacefully, and enforce one’s will and good sense of morality. Throughout the novel, Golding compares the instinct of civilization with the good and the instinct of savagery with evil. “Ralph saw it first, and watched until the intentness of his gaze drew all eyes that way. Then the creature stepped from mirage onto clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was not all shadow but mostly clothing. The creature was a party of boys. “ (19).
Golding implies that the instinct of savagery is far more primitive than the instinct of civilization. Golding sees moral behavior, in many cases, as something that civilization that is forced upon an individual in order to conform to societal standards. Therefore, when humans are exposed to no rules and civilization, humans most likely will revert to savagery and hysteria. Further on in the novel, Golding shows how different people respond to the influences of the instincts of civilization and savagery in a variety of ways. “If Ralph is a projection of man's good impulses from which we derive the authority figures—whether god, king, or father—who establish the necessity for our valid ethical and social action, then Jack becomes an externalization of the evil instinctual forces of the unconscious.” Ralph for instance, for the most part remains uninhibited by hysteria and the savage like activity present in Jack’s tribe. However, Jack succumbs to hysteria resulting in a savage like activity such as brutal murders and sacrifices.
With the analysis of symbolism in the post World War II novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding provides substantial evidence and subtext to prove that fear reveals the evil of mankind due to the resulting hysteria and savagery that comes to human nature. So then the question is asked once more: What effect does fear truly have on the human’s ability to control their impulses and instincts. It is the clear line with the human nature between complete civilization and complete savagery that makes us question how mankind will react to any situation that is forced upon them.

Works Cited
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