Henri Tanghe Mrs. Milholland English 9H/Period 2 3/14/2023 Creative Title that drives the reader to tears Author and playwright Sam Shepard once said, “Democracy's a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it's no longer democracy, is it? It's something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism.” This quote flows incredibly well with William Golding’s 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies, in which a group of boys deserted on a remote island grapple between civilization and savagery. These two themes go hand in hand with the themes of democracy and totalitarianism. Through the character Jack, Golding conveys the message that fear can be exploited …show more content…
Throughout history, many movements have exploited fear to expand their authority. Jack, being an opportunist after his defeat in the tribal election, kept circulating the rumor of a beast in order to grow his following: "I've got the conch. Ralph thinks you're cowards, running away from the boar and the beast. And that's not all… he's not a hunter. He'd never have got us meat. He isn't a prefect and we don't know anything about him" (Golding 155). Jack is manipulative and knows that the boys flock to Ralph for governance. However, as a hunter, he is able to use the beast to his advantage, as the boys will need his direction in order to protect themselves. The idea of a malevolent beast presented an opportunity to give him exactly what he wanted: total control. The use of a phantom threat is also frequently seen in many …show more content…
In his 1741 essay “Of the First Principles of Government", the Scottish philosopher David Hume stated, “No man would have any reason to fear the fury of a tyrant, if he had no authority over any but from fear” (par. 6). An authoritarian gains his power from fear, and without it, he would have no authority. Jack too derived his leadership from fear, and like most dictators, resented the idea of losing it. To preserve his command, Jack had to keep up the lie of the beast. In the face of Simon's attempts to rationalize the boy's fears, Jack reacted ruthlessly. He whipped the boys into a frenzy, which resulted in Simon’s death: “Jack leapt on to the sand. ‘Do our dance! Come on! Dance!... kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" (Golding 187). Jack understands that the chant provides a sense of security to the boys, and he manipulates their blind following into attacking Simon. Of course, every boy in the circle took part in his death, but it is beyond a shred of doubt that this violence was instilled into them by the actions and nudgings of Jack. The fear that Jack circulated to increase his own power culminated in the immense brutality that killed