LOTF Essay// Power Through Fear

Antonia Solar

Ms. Pahomov

English 2

25 March 2019

Power Through Fear

How is leadership established? There are different forms of leaders all around, some leaders with more power than others, but what should be done when people are ruled by the one they fear? At times, desperate followers can assist towards insecure people asserting fear-based leadership. The hopelessness of the followers leads to them not having the confidence to stand up to their leader due to the terror they have of the outcome if they can’t guide and support themselves. The coercive power of leaders keeps people in line by creating a sense of powerlessness, obedience, and dependency.

In William Golding’s, Lord of the Flies, Jack presses the group of boys to listen to him as he plays into the fear that they will be stuck on the island forever. As chief, Jack says he will “get more of the biguns away from the conch and all that" (133). Jack states  that when his tribe hunts they'll leave some of the kills for the beast so that it won't bother them. The conch, which represents a civilized society, illustrating how Jack did not think about long-term effects of staying on the island. Instead, he thought of what benefitted him and what he wanted, leading to him being able to come into rule as the uneasiness of what their future might hold giving Jack leeway to come into power. Ralph and Piggy try to tell Jack that the fire is their only way out, and throughout the book, it represents their only tie to society and their old life. As Jack becomes blinded with his greed and need for power, he blurs the goals of his tribe. The more Ralph loses his hold over the group of boys, they are left seeking for someone who will lead them in a more effective manner. Running wild becomes the only way they can stay in denial of the events that have happened.

Although it may seem almost from another world, government enforced disappearances exist as a way for leaders to establish their power over others. In an article from “Human Rights Watch,” it is pointed out that “It is impossible to determine the exact number of people jailed on politically motivated grounds due to the complete lack of transparency in the justice system, closed trials, and severe repression that precludes independent monitoring of these cases.”  In countries like Turkmenistan, where the government is very strict and the people living there have less freedom, fear of one’s family or friend being taken leads people to try to stay in line, reinforcing the government’s power. Governments can use their followers to their advantage and since they were given the power, the follower is left with nothing to do as they are unprotected by the law, which appears corrupt by the ones in power. This is revealed in the book, as Jack rules the group of boys by imposing the idea upon them that he is the only way they will survive, making them dependent of him.

Jack shows his ability to control others when he kidnaps the twins Sam and Eric to get them to be under his rule. Ralph tries to free them and they refuse to come, he says, "’Won't you come with me? Three of us--we'd stand a chance.’ After a moment's silence, Sam spoke in a strangled voice. ‘You don't know Roger. He's a terror.’ ‘And the chief--they're both--’ ‘--terrors--’" (189.) The description of Jack and Roger, who are the authority figures, by Sam and Eric who were forced to join their tribe, shows the fear that is instilled in them if they do one wrong move. It is shown that Sam and ric are too afraid to follow what they really believe and as there is no one who can challenge Jack and Roger, they are left helpless. This occurs too with government enforced disappearances as no one can help them as there is no one with enough power to overrule the leaders.

When it comes to government enforced disappearances, the fear is implanted in people by the fact that the ones who they trusted with keeping them safe are the ones hurting them, leaving the victims powerless. According to “Amnesty International,” an organization that focuses on human rights, “A disappeared person is also at a high risk of torture since they are placed completely outside the protection of the law.” Leaders can use their powers in negative ways as they are responsible and are able to influence the people who rely on them. This causes people to not be able to do much about the disappearances because they were already given control and power. Just like in Lord of the Flies, the mental hold that the leader has on the followers because of fear of being hurt, or not being able to go back to their lives, gives the leader the ability to do what they want.

Many of the events and characters can be connected to real-life events, and through this, we can understand the philosophy of humans and human behavior. Government enforced disappearances and Jack’s rule over the boys reveal the ideology that some people have where they are able to come into power through the vulnerability of the many followers. When Jack separates and creates his own tribe, his vision for the others becomes blurred with his own needs. This is apparent in government enforced disappearances as they as the government uses this technique for their convenience in a way to gain their best interest at heart. In Lord of the Flies, Jack even kidnaps Sam and Eric in a way to take what control Ralph had left. They are left without a way out as Jack’s show of strength keeps his followers loyal to him, haunting them with the fear that they too may be hurt if they do not do what they are told. Furthermore, when governments decide to enforced disappearances, they too show the control they have over their followers. As bystanders, the surrounding followers do not rebel and instead feed into the power of the leaders, helping them grow their influence. Books can be metaphors to people’s lives, leaving many lessons to be learned. Lord of the Flies can be seen as a reflection of the world, revealing the possible fear that can control people’s decisions, views, and can ultimately be the one to entrap one in their own self.

Works Cited

“Everything You Need to Know about Enforced Disappearances and Human Rights.”

Disappearances | Amnesty International, Amnesty International, www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/disappearances/.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Penguin Books, 2006

Khazan, Olga. “Why You Shouldn't 'Go With Your Gut'.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company,

20 Sept. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/the-best-headspace-for-making-decisions/500423/.

Sada, Michelle. “Psych 256: Cognitive Psychology FA16 – 002.” Powered by Sites at Penn State -

WordPress, Penn State, 20 Nov. 2016, www.sites.psu.edu/psych256fa1602/2016/11/20/the-effects-of-fear-on-decision-making/.

“World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Turkmenistan.” Human Rights Watch, Human Rights

Watch, 17 Jan. 2019, www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/turkmenistan.