All humans fear something and deal with fear in ways that are identical to their personalities. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows the fears of Jack, Ralph, and Piggy and chooses specific ways for each to deal with his fears. Three boys react to fear in his unique way, that shows his personality. Fear causes people to do what they would not normally do. In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows that fear of the unknown can destroy order, and may help violence erupt.
Jack, one of the older boys stranded on the island, becomes the leader of the hunters, fears that a beast actually exists. He is afraid and admits it, he deals with his fear with hostile violence. Jack chooses to hunt for the beast, arms himself with a spear, and practices killing it: “We’re strong—we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!” In addition, he uses the fear of the beast to control and manipulate the other children. Because they fear the beast, they are more likely to listen to Jack and follow his orders. However, Jack fears Ralph’s power over the group and Piggy’s coherent thought. He knows that both directly conflict with his thirst for absolute power. He responds to these fears in his familiar, violent way. He physically and verbally abuses Piggy, and he argues with Ralph and questions his authority to such an extent that Jack ends up leaving the group. Jack eventually strengthens his power by forcing the last members of Ralph’s group to join his tribe and ordering a hunt for Ralph.
Ralph, the twelve-year-old English boy who is elected leader of the group of boys marooned on the island, experiences his own fears. However, he deals with them differently than Jack. He fears that the boys will never be rescued because the group fails to keep the signal fire lit. Ralph’s fear remains obvious through most of the book, yet his efforts to express the importance of maintaining the fire to the group are thwarted by Jack. Ralph exclaims at one point, “I’m...