Theme of Fear in "The Crucible" and "Lord Of The Flies"

Every individual in society has gone through the experience of fear. There is fear in every situation, and it is an utterly unavoidable emotion. This emotion can cause us to make poor decisions, and change ourselves in a way that is dehumanizing in a society. In other words, while many people live lives full of happiness, no one can totally escape the experience of fear and its companion, pain. In both Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, fear causes characters to act in a way that deteriorates their society from being successful. Considering that many characters begin to acquire similar traits as each other, to be more specific Abigail and Ralph had potential in being successful leaders in their society, but both characters use the act of fear to get what they want and threaten others in the group to be able to pursue what they are looking for.

In Lord of the Flies, many of the boys and littluns fear the nonexisting beast that they have all been paranoid and afraid of. The beast becomes part of the big factor of why everyone is developing fear. Knowing this, Jack uses the beast to attain his followers, by telling the boys that he will go hunt for the beast and kill it. He begins by mentioning that he saw the beast at the top of the mountain. In an effort to expel Ralph from his position of power, he then falsely warns the boys that the beast is a hunter and says that ralph called the hunters despicable. Thus allowing the rest of the members to listen and respect him. Jack's ruthless persona unveils as he has a bloodlust after killing pigs, transforming into a savage each step of the way. His transformation into a savage can be described by the narrator stating, "He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness. . . The mask compelled them".

In this quote, the author illustrates Jack as a devilish figure, suggesting that it may lure others under his command with his newly painted face. In a like manner, Abigail uses fear by threatening the girls that if they were to report what occurred on the night that the girls danced in the forest, she would physically abuse them. Abigail lies to others to keep herself known as the superior girl and wants to conform into societal norms to keep herself safe from the dreadful consequences, affecting others to follow her footsteps in doing the same thing that deteriorates their society. Regarding this, as the plot in both narratives progress, the evil in both characters starts to emerge, developing into cruel and sinister ones. Fear causes characters to act in a way, such as using others which only brings society a lot of fake people in life who ends up violating society.

With regards to the experience of fear, Rebecca Nurse from The Crucible, displays a very strong leadership position through her act of kindness and individualism. Rebecca Nurse is Francis Nurses beloved wife. She is one of the most beloved individuals in Salem because of her sympathy and affection. She is a character that stands out because she is seen as a leader and is very logical, and does not go with ideas that she does not believe in for herself. For example, she is very straightforward, truthful, and blew off the idea of witchcraft among the girls and society. Her honesty lead herself to not confess to witchcraft in Salem Village to save her own life. She does not let fear overtake her, even when it hurts which lead her to be hung for not confessing leading up to her death.

In contrast, Piggy from Lord of the Flies is known for his big brain, and he is also seen to truthful and displays a type of leadership. He puts his entire effort to try to fix problems, and wants the best for everyone. Piggy knows that without Ralph, he will not be able to defend himself against Jack and his “savages” on the island. He is the biggest supporter of civility on the island and cannot seem to survive in a society without following rules. When Ralph holds the assembly to talk about the beast, Piggy attempts to solve the identity of the beast pragmatically in a smart manner. He concludes that the only thing that the boys should possibly be feared of is each other. Piggy is intelligent and solves problems logically when saying “‘We need an assembly. Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log’”. He examines the possibility of various animals on the island and decides that there is no such thing as a beast, again not letting fear overtake him. Piggy’s maturity level and behavior is threatened by the savagery of the other boys on the island who takes his specs, resulting in his death, showcasing a symbol of how far from civilization the boys have come to, and where their humanity has gone to. As a final point, Samn'Eric and Mary Warren possess similar personas because they portray the development between the good and bad side of mankind. In other words, they have virtuous morals and have the want to do positive actions. However, they will cave in and follow the immoral side of human nature. A predominant representation of this is in Lord of the Flies in the beginning when Samn'Eric wants to help Ralph and contribute to the island, but when the darkness overcomes the island, they go to Jack's tribe. The author illustrates this in the novel when the narrator says, "Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority". When Samn'Eric, Ralph, and Piggy travel to Castle Rock, carrying the conch shell with them, they hope to negotiate with Jack and his tribe and remind them of their former leader, Ralph. As a result, the mission is a failure as Piggy dies due to Roger, and the dispute over Ralph and Jack intensifies. Jack and his tribe target Ralph, leaving him in danger, and Samn'Eric leave Ralph, joining Jack's tribe in order not to be targeted. Described in the quote, it shows that Samn'Eric betray Ralph when Ralph is in danger, leaving and joining Jack's tribe. From this, their loyalty to Ralph vanquishes as they abandon him and leave him for Jack.

Similarly, The Crucible when Abigail accuses John Proctor's wife, Elizabeth Proctor, that Elizabeth's spirit stabs Abigail with a needle. Because of this, she is sent for a warrant of arrest. Afterwards, Mary confesses to John Proctor that the hysteria that the girls have created are entirely false and that they have not been bewitched by anyone in Salem town. In order to prove that John’s wife is not guilty, John demands Mary that she needs to testify against Abigail. However, Mary responds to John by saying she is afraid that Abigail and the girls may turn on her. Upon arrival to the courthouse, Mary is unable to bring herself to testify against the girls and falls silent. When told she could be hung or put in jail for perjury, she caves in and goes back to Abigail's side, accusing John of witchcraft. Mary and Samn'Eric show that they allow others to control them, demonstrating the transition between the good and the bad in human nature.

As was previously stated, both Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, showcases that fear is a very strong symptom that causes characters to act in a way that can deteriorate their society from being successful. Avoiding fear and pain can cause individuals to grow stronger. The trick with fear is to go with it, and to let it do it’s work. Once fear has put us in touch with our inner issues it can diminish.