In the short story “Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding, the universal fear of theme is significant because it is a trait that all of the boys have in common. Fear is introduced in the story when the littluns share their fear of the beast with the rest of the boys. Ralph explains, “The thing is—fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream. There aren’t any beasts to be afraid of on this island.” As the chief, it is Ralph’s job to address problems. Although he may want to dismiss this childish fear of the “beast” he explains to them there is nothing to be afraid of and that it is nothing more than a dream. The kids struggle to describe or identify the beast, but the reader can interpret it as all the fears that you have as a child. The absence