How Does Golding Use Fear In Lord Of The Flies

People in today's society often use masks to disguise their true feelings and emotions. In Golding's Lord of the Flies, a group of young boys get stranded on an uninhabited island and must take it upon themselves to get rescued. They give each other roles and jobs to run in order. Ralph was elected the leader in the beginning due to his good looks and confident mindset. Throughout the novel, Ralph developed to become a stronger leader and a savage. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph was very confident in his leading abilities and he believed they would be rescued in no time. While Jack was expressing his worries about the smaller boys and their fears of a beast, Ralph said, “‘The thing is- fear can’t hurt you more than a dream'’” (Golding …show more content…
He is showing his thoughts on fears as some of the boys develop fears. Ralph knows that fears will slow them down, so he tries to show them that fears alone can’t hurt and they are just as powerful as dreams. Next, after the feast, Ralphs became pressured to serve the boys better. “Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed in terror and made it governable” (Golding 152). The quote shows their stress as well as Ralph's leadership. They made civilization and order on the island and they are clearly overwhelmed. The quote also reflects the inhumane society that they created. Towards the beginning, Ralph had confidence in the group, but as the novel progressed, he began to lose it as he saw what they would have to do to survive. Golding uses masks to give them different identities when making decisions. Ralph created a society that had rules that quickly fell apart. “‘I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we are not savages’” (Golding 42). The quote shows Ralph prioritizing rules and a smooth-running

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