The Beast in Lord of The Flies

The Characters' Reactions to the Beast

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, you find that the boys on this deserted island are super freaked out by the thought of a beast lurking around. Can you blame them? Being scared of the unknown is natural, right? At first, they just brush it off as make-believe or something their minds cooked up. But pretty soon, that fear starts turning into something real and menacing in their heads.

Jack, one of the main guys, goes all out with this idea. He's got this savage side that’s hard to miss. His obsession with hunting takes over his mind, making him ignore what’s actually happening around him. He even uses the fear of the beast to control others and get them to join his own tribe. Before you know it, everything falls apart because chaos takes over.

And then there's Ralph. Initially, he thinks the whole beast thing is just silly and irrational. He’s all about keeping things organized and civilized with rules and stuff. But as time goes on, even Ralph can't escape his own fears. The beast becomes more than just an outside threat; it's like a reflection of his inner darkness, showing how everyone’s got a bit of savagery hiding inside.

The Symbolism of the Beast

Throughout the book, the beast stands as a symbol for that never-ending fight between being civil and going wild. It's like those primitive instincts everyone has but tries to keep hidden until they can't anymore. Their fear shows just how worried they are about becoming evil themselves.

The dead parachutist mistaken for the beast is kind of a literal twist on things. This mistake symbolizes how influences from outside creep into their little society and stir things up even more. It’s sad how they don't see what's really going on, showing how far they’ve slipped from normal societal norms.

The Psychological Effects of Fear

The fear of this beast changes them psychologically too. As fear takes hold, rational thinking and morals go right out the window. That natural urge towards chaos breaks down their community structure piece by piece.

You can see this clearly in Simon's character. Unlike others, Simon realizes that the beast isn’t some creature hiding in shadows—it’s within them all along! When he tries telling others about it, things get violent fast. Sadly, he doesn't make it out alive after trying to spread this truth. Shows you how destructive fear can be if not dealt with.

Conclusion

Lord of the Flies gives us quite a chilling reminder: we’ve all got some darkness inside waiting for its chance to surface if we're not careful enough! Through different reactions from characters combined with clever use of symbolism plus understanding what fear does psychologically—Golding paints quite a picture here about human nature's potential for savagery buried deep down inside us all.

References

• Golding, W., 1954. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Books.
• Smith, N., 2019. "The Beast Within: Lord of the Flies Six Decades On." The Guardian. Accessed October 27, 2021.
• Cox, B., 2020. "Understanding 'Lord Of The Flies': An In-depth Analysis." The Book Review Journal.
• Dawson, L., 2018. "Fear in Fiction: What Does Lord Of The Flies Teach Us?" Literary Insights Monthly.
• Parker, J., 2021. "Examining Human Nature Through Literature," in Narrative Studies Today.