Madeleine Frey
Ms. Degener
Pre-AP English 9, Period 4
1 May 2023
An Unbalanced State of Mind
The id, ego, and super-ego must all be equal for the mind to be balanced and live a good existence; otherwise, the mind would become lost ("Freud's Theory Of Personality: Id, Ego, And Super-ego"). Golding demonstrates Freud's theory of balance in mind and what could happen if it became unbalanced in his novel Lord of the Flies, where young boys struggle to survive and establish order on a deserted island. They try to balance the three forces of Freud's theory to resolve conflicts but destroy their superficial democracy. In considering the impacts of Freud's view on the characters, in the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding demonstrates how each aspect
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The conscience is our "inner voice" that alerts us when we have misbehaved ("Freud's Theory Of Personality: Id, Ego, And Super-ego"). Piggy acts as the conscience when the boys create their society; he advocates for a signal fire to boost the probability of their rescue. "'I agree with Ralph. We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything"' (Golding 42). Golding's use of situational irony is made apparent as the boys devolve into savages themselves. It also demonstrates that Piggy is concerned with upholding order and obeying the rules, two crucial parts of the super-ego's role. Piggy continually supports these principles and tries to keep the boys from descending into savagery. The other crucial part of the super-ego is the ideal self. It is an idealized version of who you should be; it symbolizes your goals for your work, how you should interact with others, and how you should conduct yourself publicly ("Freud's Theory Of Personality: Id, Ego, And Super-ego.") Simon behaves as the super-ego differently, he reflects the ideal self because of his morality which guides his words and actions. '"Maybe," he said hesitantly, "maybe there is a beast.