Sigmund Freud, inventor of psychoanalysis used for the treatment of mental illness and neurosis, mentions that the human mind is comprised of the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious, which continue to control us daily. Behind these three components of the mind is the battle between the unconscious id being driven by pleasure, the superego, which is the instinctive ethical choice, and the ego aiming to please both elements. William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, depicts three characters, Jack, Ralph, and Piggy as each of the three personifications of Freud’s parts of the human psyche to show the conflict between the barbarism and rationality that the boys encounter throughout the story. The id, being power hungry and destructive
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In discovering his thrill of hunting, Jack’s pleasure drive is greatly emphasized, which to Freud, is the basic human need to be accomplished. For instance, “Listen, all of you. Me and my hunters, we’re living along the beach by a flat rock. We hunt and feast and have fun” (Golding 140), Jack responds directly and immediately to his instincts and abandons any sense of rationality while acting unaffected by logic or his everyday life. Jack’s lack of empathy towards the other schoolboys and ultimately in himself, is demonstrated through his excessive hunting, his role in the deaths of both Simon and Piggy, and lastly in the burning of the island, even at the expense of his own …show more content…
When Piggy states, “Life… is scientific, that’s what it is… I know there isn’t no beast - not with claws and all that, I mean - but I know there isn’t no fear either”, it is shown that Golding displays Piggy as being more intellectually superior than the other schoolboys, which then leads him to have a stronger connection outside of the isolation of their island (Golding 84). His ability to use reason helps the other schoolboys stay focused on the task at hand. Piggy contributes to establish order shortly after they are all on the island by recommending the use of the conch; he also mocks the boys for “acting like a crowd of kids” (Golding 42). Piggy is often described as being more socially compatible with the adults and carries himself with a sense of purpose that will frequently be known as Ralph’s moral crisis supervisor. For example, although Ralph had the initial thought of using the conch as a form of power, it was Piggy who obtained the knowledge to blow it as a calling to the others. Piggy is very clearly dominated by the rules set by their society and desperately wants the other boys to understand his point of
In discovering his thrill of hunting, Jack’s pleasure drive is greatly emphasized, which to Freud, is the basic human need to be accomplished. For instance, “Listen, all of you. Me and my hunters, we’re living along the beach by a flat rock. We hunt and feast and have fun” (Golding 140), Jack responds directly and immediately to his instincts and abandons any sense of rationality while acting unaffected by logic or his everyday life. Jack’s lack of empathy towards the other schoolboys and ultimately in himself, is demonstrated through his excessive hunting, his role in the deaths of both Simon and Piggy, and lastly in the burning of the island, even at the expense of his own …show more content…
When Piggy states, “Life… is scientific, that’s what it is… I know there isn’t no beast - not with claws and all that, I mean - but I know there isn’t no fear either”, it is shown that Golding displays Piggy as being more intellectually superior than the other schoolboys, which then leads him to have a stronger connection outside of the isolation of their island (Golding 84). His ability to use reason helps the other schoolboys stay focused on the task at hand. Piggy contributes to establish order shortly after they are all on the island by recommending the use of the conch; he also mocks the boys for “acting like a crowd of kids” (Golding 42). Piggy is often described as being more socially compatible with the adults and carries himself with a sense of purpose that will frequently be known as Ralph’s moral crisis supervisor. For example, although Ralph had the initial thought of using the conch as a form of power, it was Piggy who obtained the knowledge to blow it as a calling to the others. Piggy is very clearly dominated by the rules set by their society and desperately wants the other boys to understand his point of