William Golding used multiple methods of conveying the theme that I got out of the book. This theme is that fear of the unknown can topple an organized society and push it to savagery. One of the methods that he used to portray this theme to the reader was during the plot when Ralph is trying to organize a meeting and discuss how to keep order on the island. During this meeting the subject of "the beast" is brought up and the entire meeting falls apart, driving Jack closer to his savage nature. To me this shows that if fear is sewn into the populace of a community it can cause chaos and havoc.
Another thing that Golding used to show this theme was the symbol of the beast itself. Despite the fact that the beast was actually a downed and killed pilot they still feared it. Even as one of the children discovers the true nature of this creature, the fear of it causes the children to destroy what might have been their best chance of retaining civilized life and hope of rescue. I think that the symbol of the beast definitely represents an unknown fear that embodies the theme of the novel. The act of the children killing Simon in a fearful rage represents the breakdown of society due to fear.
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