The boys fear the beast, yet they seek it out.
A paradox is a statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow. A paradox is a statement that contradicts itself and still seems true somehow.
Paradoxes in literature are often less about logical conundrums and more about illuminating meaning. While paradoxes may seem totally contradictory, literary paradoxes are often totally true at the same time.
In the novel Lord of the Flies, there is a paradox attached to the boys' attitude toward the beast. The beast does not exist, but the boys fear it nonetheless. Their attitude towards the fictional beast reveals their actual fear of the unknown.
Get free summary and analysis of the events in William Golding's Lord of the Flies at Shmoop.com and SparkNotes.com.
See a list of paradox examples in common speech and literature at LiteraryDevices.net.