“Often, the fear of evil leads us to the worst” (Despreaux). Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux says that fear consumes us and often leads to a worse fate. William Golding shares a similar view in his novel Lord of the Flies. A group of boys land devastatingly on a deserted island. Ralph and his friend Piggy form a group. Little by little, they become more and more fearful. Then a boy named Jack rebels and forms his own tribe with a few boys like Roger and Bill. Many factors such as their environment, their personality and their own mind contribute to their change. Eventually many of the boys revert to their inherently evil nature and become savage and only two boys remain civilized. The boys face many trials, including each other, and show their true colors. In the end, they are saved, but too much is lost. Their innocence is lost forever with the life of Simon, a peaceful and intelligent boy, Piggy. Throughout the novel, Golding uses symbolism and characterization to show that savagery and evil are a direct effect of fear. Initially, the boys behave in a civilized, systematic, and fearless manner when they first land on the island. Ralph just blew the conch and some young children reacted to the sound by gathering at the source of the sound. Piggy asks their names. “The children gave him the same simple obedience they had given the man with the megaphones” (Golding 18). The younger ones simply obey and respond to Piggy the same way they would to an authoritative figure. The children's behavior towards Piggy shows that they are always governed by courtesy and order. Also, after blowing the conch, Ralph sees a group of boys walking in two parallel lines, dressed in strange clothes. "T...... middle of paper... the state they are in is caused by the beast, symbol of fear. The barbaric way in which the boys attacked Simon without a moment of restraint shows that the beast had summoned their evil, primal, savage inner spirit. All the boys, except Simon, become the beast at this point. In Lord of the Flies, Golding proves that fear brings out inner evil and. barbarity of man In the novel, Golding uses the characterization of the boys and the symbolism of the beast to show the gradual change from their initial civility to savagery and inhumanity. educated people ultimately become futile in the face of fear The author teaches that without logic, fear consumes endlessly He shows that fear clouds the mind, thus making it absolutely imperative to maintain reason and logic throughout life. Fear will always end in a fate worse than death for those who survive it..