Essay On Lord Of The Flies-Freudian Psychology

Freudian psychology in Lord of The Flies In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the freudian mind layout of the id, ego, and superego can be applied to Jack, Ralph, and Piggy respectively. According to Freud, the brain operates on the principles of the id, ego, and superego almost fully unconsciously and only a small bit can be observed. The id, which represents our unconscious desires, operates on the pleasure principle, which causes us to eat, drink, have sex, destroy, and fight. The ego operates on the reality principle, and is there to supply the id with reason. The superego is where our morals and ideals are based. Jack, Ralph, and Piggy act in such a way that they fit into the qualities of the id, ego, and superego. Jack does whatever he wants without thinking of consequences as well as indulges in carnal desires such as hunting, therefore, he can be identified as the id. Jack first shows his acting without consequences when he lets the fire go out. He and his hunters choose hunting over keeping the fire going, and miss out on a passing ship. Instead of apologizing for his actions, Jack instead smacks Piggy. “... Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried out in terror” (Golding 71). Furthermore, Jack is obsessed with the …show more content…
Throughout the novel and until his death, Piggy’s superego is relatively unscathed. He tries to maintain order within the island enforcing that the person who holds the conch is the one who speaks. Furthermore, when Jack and the hunters let the fire go out, He is the one to scold them for it saying “you didn’t ought to have let that fire out. You said you’d keep the smoke going” (Golding 71). Through being the voice of reason and trying to keep the boys civilized while on the island, Piggy embodies the role of the superego and doesnt let the island corrupt