Critical Lens
The Hidden Psycology of Lord of the Flies The classic dystopian novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, describes a group of
British boys who got stranded on an island and later became savages. The evilness and brutality in humans are fully demonstrated throughout the story. The characters of Lord of the
Flies, Jack, Piggy, and Ralph, could be examined under Freud’s psychological theory, which is composed of three components: the id, the ego, and the superego. Jack acts as the id and
Piggy represents the superego, whereas Ralph is the ego who stands in the middle and creates a balance between them.
Nowadays, psychologists continue to apply the structural model of personality of
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. Freud’s theory suggests that human psyche consists of three main parts: the id, the superego, and the ego. These three elements develop during different stages in our lives and create complicated human behaviors and personalities. The id is the unconscious part of our psyche that we are born with. It’s the source of our basic instinct and needs, such as the requirements for food, love, money, and survival. It seeks for immediate satisfaction without considering the reality and consequences.
Id is considered important to humans because it’s most likely the motivation of our actions and thoughts. Later on, the ego is developed from the id during infancy. It is the balance between the unreasonable id and the moral world, and it functions among the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind. The ego works to meet the demands of the id, while being socially and realistically acceptable. Lastly, during early childhood, the superego is developed from the ego. It’s the moral component of the human psyche that consists moral standards and rules that are given from our society. The superego civilizes our manners and restrain the urges of the id to meet the society’s moralistic standards. According to Freud, a
healthy
British boys who got stranded on an island and later became savages. The evilness and brutality in humans are fully demonstrated throughout the story. The characters of Lord of the
Flies, Jack, Piggy, and Ralph, could be examined under Freud’s psychological theory, which is composed of three components: the id, the ego, and the superego. Jack acts as the id and
Piggy represents the superego, whereas Ralph is the ego who stands in the middle and creates a balance between them.
Nowadays, psychologists continue to apply the structural model of personality of
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. Freud’s theory suggests that human psyche consists of three main parts: the id, the superego, and the ego. These three elements develop during different stages in our lives and create complicated human behaviors and personalities. The id is the unconscious part of our psyche that we are born with. It’s the source of our basic instinct and needs, such as the requirements for food, love, money, and survival. It seeks for immediate satisfaction without considering the reality and consequences.
Id is considered important to humans because it’s most likely the motivation of our actions and thoughts. Later on, the ego is developed from the id during infancy. It is the balance between the unreasonable id and the moral world, and it functions among the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious mind. The ego works to meet the demands of the id, while being socially and realistically acceptable. Lastly, during early childhood, the superego is developed from the ego. It’s the moral component of the human psyche that consists moral standards and rules that are given from our society. The superego civilizes our manners and restrain the urges of the id to meet the society’s moralistic standards. According to Freud, a
healthy