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Freud's Personality Theory In Lord Of The Flies

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FREUD’S PERSONALITY THEORY IN LORD OF THE FLIES

Sigmund Freud had once said, “The poor ego has a still harder time of it; it has to serve three harsh masters, and it has to do its best to reconcile the claims and demands of all three... The three tyrants are the external world, the superego and the id” (Freud, psychology.about.com) The idea in this quote which is recognized again and again in many movies and books, reminds of the Freud’s Personality Theory which can be seen in “Lord of the Flies”, too. Freud’s Personality theory consists of three main concepts: ego, superego and id. William Golding, the author of “Lord of the Flies”, uses those three concepts as a base when he creates the characters and the places in the book. Freud’s Personality Theory is based on the human mind and it …show more content…

As is seen in the book, every character, also every object which is used in the novel has an id in their individuality. Specifically, id shows its effects on Jack’s personage so he is the strongest reflection of id in “Lord of the Flies”. First of all, Jack’s hunting ambition represents the pure savagery because at most parts of the book, Jack’s only wish is to be able to kill a pig, it even causes the conflicts between Ralph and Jack. So, “Kill the pig, cut her throat, spill her blood” becomes one of the most catchy mottos in the book and it is also a hard evidence about id inside Jack. In addition, this curiosity affects Jack’s other habits that he used to do in the civilization, such as clearness. After the air crash, every child is clean and pure, but as the time goes on, they lose their clearness with their childhood. So, in the fourth chapter, painted faces and long hair, is directly related to cleanliness which is one of the most important symbols in the book and this quote shows connection between id and cleanliness: “He noticed

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In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the character Jack has characteristics of The ID. The ID is the part of the mind in which instinctive impulses and primary processes are manifest. Jack, displays this in chapter four when he is dancing in war paint for a religious ceremony. The author describes this event, stating, “[Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling”(64) Jack displays his natural instincts in this part of the story.

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“When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it”(Golding 8). The novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding starts with a group of boys whom their plane is shot down, as the story takes place in World War Two. The British boys are stranded on the island with no adults around.

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Jack’s leadership is connected to darkness and evil, including the carcass of the dead pig and the shouting for more blood and killing, foreshadowing the breakdown of the boys’ sense of civilization and order. In contrast, Ralph’s leadership illustrates faith in one another and an optimistic community, focusing on the rescue and survival of the group and creating a feeling of safety and

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The novel Lord of the Flies is one of the best examples of human instincts and the ability to become savage from one day to the next. All throughout William Golding’s novel there are signs of the characters changing from well behaved boys to complete savages. In the beginning of the novel, Lord of the Flies, Jack Merridew is one of the best examples of a boy who goes from a civilized manner to a complete savage. One of the first things Jack does is insults Piggy, an overweight boy who cannot do very much.

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This futile pursuit exemplifies the double-sided spear of the id. Overall, the change in Jack’s character shows the never ending spiral of violence. In the beginning of the novel, Jack’s only goal is to hunt and kill a pig. He is “the most obvious leader”, and thrives on the need for violence(16). Jack states that he “ought to be chief”, just like the id believes it must be in control (16).

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Ralph, one of the most important characters in the novel serves as the human ego, a subconscious mind that works by reason and common sense. However, even the conscious and reasonable mind can vanish in a society with no structure and civilization. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph asserts “… We can help them to find us… a ship comes near the island they may not notice us…we must make smoke on top of the mountain…” (38). Ralph focuses on the important and common sense actions that need to be taken in order to survive and get rescued. Even so, Ralph is being diminished by the savagery committed by Jack and his hunters, the quotes “He tried to remember…we want smoke…

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Aggression for Progression In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding Jack’s characteristics controls the movement of the plot which contributes to the boys’ survival. Jack’s decisions, aggression, and leadership influence the occurrences on the island.

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The theme of human nature in The Lord of the Flies permeates the book through the characters, their archetypes, and the plot itself. In the first few chapters of Lord of the Flies, discrimination between characters is an example of the natural narcissism of human nature.. The most important of the characters include Ralph,

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Power and manipulation takes over people’s minds and turns us into egotistical people without even knowing and the sense of having control or authority can brainwash us into the people who we despise. William Golding fabricates his ideas around the time period 1933 after he received his English degree where he mostly wrote poems. Golding’s world consists of writing novels, pulling ideas from the real world into his own creative words on paper, this is where he developed his most famous book, Lord of the Flies, throughout 1954. The perspective of Lord of the Flies is through the eyes of the Second World War and since he was in this war, his point of view on violence changed and gave him a different outlook on society. In the Lord of the Flies

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