Lord_of_the_Flies

Jevaughn Sodhi ENG 2D1 May 3rd 2101 Ms. Schneider Fear in Lord of the Flies Fear is a natural characteristic that each individual possess, fear plays a big role in every human being’s life and judgement no matter what the fear is. In the novel, “Lord of the Flies”, William Golding shows that fear can be used very powerfully, and can transform people from civil to savages. The main cause of fear on the island is Jack Merridew. In the beginning Jack is extremely jealous that Ralph is chief, it seems that Jack’s only aspiration is to be chief but at some point his outlook changes and he wants fear from the boys so that he can use it to control them. His instant desire to paint his face to portray a “stranger” frightens the boys yet encourages them to follow him and do the same. Jack also uses fear in exploiting the boys’ needs to win them over to his tribe and finally seals it by threatening with the beast they believe to exist. The significance of the stealing of Piggy’s glasses is that Jack believes he can do whatever he wants; no one will stop him, not even Ralph. Fear is the overall power that Jack possesses and uses to his advantage in the novel. The boys begin to fear Jack when he smears himself with blood and mud. “[Jack] looked in astonishment no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger. He split the water and leapt to his feet excitedly. Beside the mere, his sinewy body help up a mask that drew eyes and appalled them. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. [...] The mask was a thing on its own behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness.”(63-64) The bloodthirsty snarling and animal-like behaviour of Jack frightens the boys and convinces them to begin listening to Jack more than Ralph. The fear instilled in the boys by Merridew displays to the boys that they rather are with him then against him. The mask hides Jack’s self-consciousness side, the side of him he fears, and unleashes a side of him that has no regrets. With this new side of Jack, he commences to think about controlling the boys and having power. “Jack, his face smeared with clays, reached the top first and hailed Ralph excitedly, with lifted spear. ‘I cut the pig’s throat,’ said Jack proudly, and yet twitched as he said it. [...] ‘There were lashings of blood,’” (69). Fear engulfs Jack and motivates him to kill the pig depicting the stranger side of him that he is transforming into. Jack talks of the beast to frighten the boys, but he is the beast himself. Jack uses the idea of the “beast” to offer protection from it to persuade the boys to join his tribe. At first it appears as though he is attempting to make them feel better, and explain how the beast does not exist, but after Jack realizes that the beast may exist and he can use this to control the boys, he continues to bring up the beast and what he can do about it. “‘Things are breaking up. I don’t understand why. We began well; we were happy. And then’- [Ralph] moved the conch gently, looking beyond them at nothing, remembering the beastie, the snake, the fire, and the talk of fear. ‘Then people started getting frightened.’[…] ‘[Jack has] got the conch. I’m not talking about the fear. I’m talking about the beast. Be frightened if you like. But as for the beast, Am I a hunter or am I not'’”(82-83) As Jack offers protection from the beast and Ralph does not, the boys gradually become more attracted to Jack’s leadership then Ralph’s. To put their minds at ease but still under on the influence of Jack, he creates an “offering or sacrifice” to the beast, a pig’s head. “This head is for the beast. It’s a gift,” (137). The boys believe that the gift of the pig’s head will satisfy the beast, and trust Jack enough to follow him and agree with his future decisions. To finalize his control, Merridew attempts to fulfil the boys’ desires. Merridew exploits the boys’ wants and needs during the assembly where he and Ralph fight for control. This last assembly results in the separation of the boys into Jack’s tribe and Ralph’s tribe. “I gave you food and my hunters will protect you from the beast […] Who’ll join my tribe and have fun'”(150-151). By offering the boys fun, food, and protection: their exact desires, and at the same time bringing down Ralph, Jack explains to the boys why they should join his tribe. Also, Jack mentally offers a life without fear to the boys, and without fear of the beast. But even if they do not have to fear the beast, they will still fear Jack himself. Jack has accomplishes his lust for power and control but continues to put fear into the boys to keep them on his side. Once Jack gains control of the boys using fear, he cements it with the stealing of Piggy’s glasses. “The chief led them, trotting steadily exulting in his achievement. He was chief now in truth; and he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses,” (168). The intensity of the stealing of Piggy’s glasses strengthens the boys’ fears of Jack causing them to follow him instead of Ralph. “‘I’m scared of him, and that’s why I know him. If you’re scared of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. […] He hates you too, Ralph.’[…] ‘You got home over the fire; and the chief and he isn’t.’ ‘But he’s, he’s Jack Merridew!”(93) If speaking Jack’s name initiates the emotion of fear, it displays how the boys including Ralph, Piggy, and Simon see him as. He is seen as the dominant fear on the island and being hated by him was something to fear. Jack can even make the boys participate in his wild and uncivilized and savage chanting and behaviour. It escalades from first acting out the killing of the pig to wild actions and eventually leading to the death of Simon. This shows his true control over the boys and how he can manipulate them to do what he wants including Roger punishing Wilfred, stealing Piggy’s glasses, and even the killing of Simon. Jack proves to be the main cause of fear on the island caused by his savagery including the painting of his face, and his lust for power and control of the boys. Merridew seems as he only wants to be chief, but he later realizes he cannot have complete control without instilling fear into the boys and taking out the opposition. As fear descends upon Jack and first drives him to paint his face and kill the pig, he continues to motivate himself with fear to control the other. Following Jack’s threats involving the beast and exploiting their needs, he finally demonstrates his control and power by stealing Piggy’s glasses for his tribe’s needs. Jack began civilized only wanting leadership but soon became savage and craved control no longer letting anyone stand in his way and becoming fear itself on the island. Golding displays in the novel, that even realistically as in the war (WWII), fear could create strangers from friends and was the main motivation for soldiers, fear of survival.