What Is The Unknown In The Crucible

Fear of the Unknown In The Tent Peg, one’s fear for the unknown is displayed through the desire to colonize, dominate and conquer another. Van Herk demonstrates that an individual is intimidated and threatened by the unknown, hence, giving rise to one’s survival instincts. The fear of the unknown overwhelms people to such an extent that their actions, beliefs, and behaviour are hindered by it. What is it about the unknown that is fearful? Throughout the novel, characters discover that fear is relative and it does not exist by itself. As a result, one ceases to comprehend the unknown because of the curiosity, greed and desire to attain ultimate knowledge. Greed is derived from one’s attachment to another person which is motivated by the fear of loss and the unwillingness to make changes. After Janice leaves Mackenzie, he becomes extremely paranoid as his own life has become an unknown territory for himself, because Janice was the only constant in Mackenzie’s life. Due to his paranoia, Mackenzie sends a private detective to

JL is the minority out of the nine other men, thus she is unable to take control over them all at once. Although, she is unconventional to other women, JL admits, “I cannot be afraid or the will smell my fear, and I will certainly be lost, at their mercy” (Van Herk 57). JL feels threatened by the men in the camp because she is unaware of their capabilities, and hence she is overcome by the want to dominate the men. However, when she is unable to do so, she resorts to finding means of escape before she can be “used and discarded” by the men. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is unable to take possession of his wife and son, and hence their rebellious nature towards Okonkwo cause him to allegorically discard of them once he feels threatened by them. Okonkwo’s defensive mechanisms kick in because he is vulnerable due to his lack of knowledge in regard to his