The ID, Ego and Superego in Lord of the Flies
The exemplification of Freud’s id, superego, and ego:
A look at Jack, Piggy, Simon and Ralph within The Lord of the Flies
Freud primarily subscribed to the idea that there are two energies that drive human behavior. These two energies are sex – the pleasure principle and aggression. The human mind is comprised of the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. Within the realms of the mind, the human personality is controlled by the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is driven by the pleasure principle. The superego is the instinctual moral good, which aims to please the ego ideal, or the magnified moral values. The ego interacts with both the id and the superego and aims to please both components (Connors). William Golding’s Lord of the Flies embodies Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Golding utilizes the characters of Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Ralph to personify the id, the ego, and the superego, respectively. Jack is a prime example of Freud’s id. Much like the id, Jack cares about survival as opposed to rescue. The id focuses on immediate and primitive pleasures as opposed to a long-term plan. Jack shows no interest in a signal fire and instead spends all of his time hunting. He thrives upon control. He does not support the rules established and tries to be a totalitarian leader. Numerous times throughout the novel, he attempts to turn the boys against Ralph, the original head chief. “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat–!” (Golding 79). He controls the boys, kills animals, and aids in killing Simon and Piggy. Jack ultimately overpowers Piggy and Simon, by aiding and abetting in their deaths, much like the id can overpower the superego. Throughout the novel, Jack solely cares about his own pleasures. His first priority is hunting pigs and getting meat. He enjoys the idea of catching, controlling, and killing a pig. Jack's tribe
A look at Jack, Piggy, Simon and Ralph within The Lord of the Flies
Freud primarily subscribed to the idea that there are two energies that drive human behavior. These two energies are sex – the pleasure principle and aggression. The human mind is comprised of the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. Within the realms of the mind, the human personality is controlled by the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is driven by the pleasure principle. The superego is the instinctual moral good, which aims to please the ego ideal, or the magnified moral values. The ego interacts with both the id and the superego and aims to please both components (Connors). William Golding’s Lord of the Flies embodies Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Golding utilizes the characters of Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Ralph to personify the id, the ego, and the superego, respectively. Jack is a prime example of Freud’s id. Much like the id, Jack cares about survival as opposed to rescue. The id focuses on immediate and primitive pleasures as opposed to a long-term plan. Jack shows no interest in a signal fire and instead spends all of his time hunting. He thrives upon control. He does not support the rules established and tries to be a totalitarian leader. Numerous times throughout the novel, he attempts to turn the boys against Ralph, the original head chief. “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat–!” (Golding 79). He controls the boys, kills animals, and aids in killing Simon and Piggy. Jack ultimately overpowers Piggy and Simon, by aiding and abetting in their deaths, much like the id can overpower the superego. Throughout the novel, Jack solely cares about his own pleasures. His first priority is hunting pigs and getting meat. He enjoys the idea of catching, controlling, and killing a pig. Jack's tribe
Bibliography: Connors, R. (2013, January/February). Freudian theory. Psychology of personality. Lecture conducted from Anna Maria College, Paxton, MA. Golding, W. (1954). Lord of the flies. London, England: Penguin Books Ltd. Rosenfield, C. (1990). 'Men of a smaller growth ': A psychological analysis of William Golding 's ‘lord of the flies, '. In R. Matuz & C. Falk (Eds.), Contemporary Literary Criticism (Vol. 58). Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.libdata.lib.ua.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE|H1420009370&v=2 .1&u=tusc49521&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w