Essay On Fear In Lord Of The Flies

In William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies, a group of boys under the age of twelve are stranded on an inhabited island. As trends in normal human behavior would predict, a group of children alone on an island ends up leading to a high level of tension and fear. In order to survive on the island with few to no supplies, the boys decide to vote for a leader. As days pass on and the boys await rescue, they begin to fear whether they will ever get off the island. Fear is a highly powerful emotion that can dominate not only ourselves but also others. So, when put into the right circumstances, will fear within the human self be used as a tool of control and manipulation for evil to arise? We can demonstrate how fear can be used as a tool of control

Fear is an emotion that emerges when you are in a dangerous or harmful situation. 'Fight or flight' is a phrase you've probably heard. The human body will prepare you to either fight off the fear or flee to avoid it. Fear is an extremely powerful emotion that can cause the human body to behave abnormally. Fear sends overwhelming signals to your brain, causing your body to behave as though the situation is more threatening than it realistically is (Fears and Phobias). Because of the strength of fear as an emotion, it can be utilized to manipulate and control others.
“A fearful population is easier to control than a fearless one” (Academy of Ideas). People will use fear as a technique of control to manipulate others. Individuals in positions of power have the ability to paralyze an entire population with fear. They accomplish this by repeating the same warnings or by alluding to the terror that surrounds them (Fear and Social

At the young age of twelve, the boys experienced fear in many different manners. One of the most prominent ways that it was used on the island was to manipulate and control the others. Fear has the greatest impact on the main antagonist, Jack. He is a power-hungry character that is in fear of losing authority and power over the island. As John Steinbeck once said, “[p]ower does not corrupt. Fear corrupts ... perhaps the fear of a loss of power” (John Steinbeck). That is, power as a whole does not corrupt; it is the tyrants who do. This leads to a readiness to do anything to maintain power: “[t]hey didn’t come for the conch. They came for something else'' (Golding 186). This demonstrates that, despite Piggy's need for his glasses, Jack was willing to steal them for his own purposes. The glasses were used to light the fire, which was utilized to prepare a feast. The capacity to roast a pig and host a feast demonstrated authority and leadership, which Jack