NON — AFRICAN PROSE
WILLIAM GOLDING: Lord Of The Flies
Discuss fear as a dominant theme in the novel.
Explanation
Fear runs all through the novel, and dictates the behaviour of the boys. Right from the day they appear on the island, the boys are seized with various types of fear. These manifest in some of the boys and in their general comportment. The fear of being marooned forever is Piggy's immediate preoccupation. He pesters Ralph with his sentiments. Not even Ralph's assurance that his own father, a pilot, will come for them in due course will allay Piggy's fears. Throughout his existence on the island, Piggy draws attention to actions that are likely to get them rescued, such as running to swim and keeping the fire going. All the boys, except perhaps Simon, are afraid of the beast. The beast is not known and so the fear of it is not tangible.
Perhaps this is what makes the boys' situation as dangerous as it is. This type of fear leads them to tackle their uneasiness by trial and error — hunting, dancing and fighting in order to sweep the fear under the carpet. Ralph is particularly afraid that the unity of the group may disintegrate and the group may become debased. What begins as .a mere reminder to the boys to use the toilet and drinking and washing places as designated, turns real when the boys break into two antagonistic groups. Despite Jack's outward show of toughness and capacity to lead, he struggles to hide his own fear of the beast. He tries hard to look natural, but intimidates others to feel on top of events. He easily keeps a boy tied up awaiting his pleasure; he dictates who may have meat, and offer Ralph and the others meat because he decides to. Jack's fear intensifies with the murder of Simon and hardens into a strong desire to eliminate Ralph. In this development, Ralph looks like a prophet. His premonitions and real dislike of Jack's behaviour are significant.
Though fear seems to be collectively felt by the boys, Simon appears to be the only one not affected like the others. Naturally, without fear, he demystifies the fear in the novel. Insightfully, he comments that the beast might just be themselves. This observation, which might have saved these boys, is ignored. Simon's ultimate discovery is never revealed as he is killed by the others, who remain afraid of the beast, which he has discovered to be a harmless, undignified, dead man. It may be said that several actions of the children are driven by fear of one kind or the other.