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Strengths and weaknesses of sigmund freud theory
Analysis of Lord of the Flies
Id ego and superego lord of the flies
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William Golding explores human psychology in Lord of the Flies through his characters. His experience in World War II influenced him to write about the human nature, and the struggle of good and evil. Along with Sigmund Freud’s theory on the human personalities and mob mentality, the book displays the extremes of human nature. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses psychological allegory to illustrate the concept of id, ego, the superego as well as mob mentality through the characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon.
Sigmund Freud presumed that the id, represented by Jack, contains primitive impulses and the desire for instant gratification. There are two kinds of ids present: the Eros, and the Thanatos. The Eros is the instinct that helps a person survive and adapt to their surroundings.
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The ego is there to make sure the demands of the id are fulfilled in a safe and “socially acceptable way” (McLeod). During the course of the book, Ralph wants to go with Jack, but he still listens to piggy when no one else does. It was due to him being close to Piggy that he (Ralph) didn’t become one of the savages, and it was because he was neither too much of an id or superego that he could survive just long enough to when they find the naval officer. Moreover, because Ralph is the ego, it is his job to keep the id and superego balanced. Since Piggy isn’t usually taken very seriously and is bullied, Ralph takes his side in order to make sure that Jack doesn’t end up killing him (129). At the end of the book, Ralph reflects on what has happened and cries for “the loss of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, the death of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (Gale 1997). Ralph was the one most likely struggled internally due to him having to control the id and the superego (Jack and Piggy), keeping everyone together, and finding a way to be
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, at first glance, is an incredibly dark read. However, that trait evaporates after one's first cursory read. Once it's text is more thoroughly perused, a pattern of optimism erupts between passages. If one dares to dive deeper into the meaning behind the book, many reasons surface. For example, the story, all in all, had a happy ending. Also, the themes were only represented among a very small pool of data. Lastly, the representation of evil in the book insinuates even greater things of goodness.
Katherine Paterson once said, “To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.” William Golding, who is a Nobel Prize winner for literature, writes Lord of the Flies, originally published in 1954. Golding’s novel is about a group of boys who crash land on an island. All of the adults are dead and they are abandoned on an island. The boys try to set rules and create a fire in efforts of being rescued. The group of boys chooses Ralph to be their leader. This choosing makes a literary character named Jack, who doesn’t show his anger until half way through the plot. The novel shows the nature of humans and how fear can control them. The novel also shows the difference between good and evil. Golding experienced this when he was in World War II. There were many times fear controlled the boys in the island in Lord of the Flies.
The ego is part of the mind that controls impulses based on communication between people. In Chapter of Lord of the Flies, Roger intended to throw a rock at Henry, to cause harm to him, but he misses on purpose causing no harm to Henry because he is used to having someone protect his innocent victims. Golding wrote the scene, “Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry- threw it to miss…. here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and law” (62). Later on in the novel, Ralph creates tries to carry out responsibility by establishing the conch to maintain order and the boys the listen. “Ralph held out his hands for the conch and the littluns sat down”(71). This shows the responsibility of Ralph and how he always attempts to be responsible. Everyone has an instinctive side to them, that is a routine to them or part of their
' I believe that man suffers from an appalling ignorance of his own nature '.
The boys find their id being challenged by their ego. Ego is described as the “part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world,” meaning it is the part of the psyche which suppresses basic impulses according to the norms or “rules” of a person’s situation (Freud 1923). In the initial days on the island, the boys actions are greatly affected by the rules of their previous society or their “ego.” When Roger was throwing rocks at the young boys, there was still “a space round Henry...into which [Roger] dare not throw.” Here, Roger is still affected by “the taboo of the old life” and still concerned with social norms as he hasn’t been on the island long enough to revert to his inner primitive nature (Golding 83). The boys are also being held back by something else- their desire for order and leadership. When Ralph and Piggy happen upon the conch, it isn’t ever seen as just a shell. They almost immediately see the conch as a way to gather the boys and a way to provide structured speaking. Ralph’s first thought is that they “ought to have a chief to decide things," because it’s what he and the other boys are used to (Golding 27). The positive reaction to the idea of having a chief shows their trust in leadership and societal structure. Once Ralph’s leadership is challenged, and the structure is lost, the barbaric behavior begins, and the boys become more susceptible to groupthink and
There is madness at the heart of every man, or at least that is what it seems William Golding is trying to teach us in his novel Lord of the Flies. In the novel, the newest world war has found its way to England and in an attempt to save them, rich English parents are sending their sons off to who knows where. In a cruel twist of fate though, the boy’s plane crashes on a deserted island, and the only thing to keep them company is the war overhead and the bodies that fall to earth. The longer they stay there and await rescue, the more madness begins to consume them, some more than others. Those that fall victim to this most strongly are the three main characters, Jack, Piggy, and Ralph. The novel though, is not only about their decent into madness but is also an allegory for the madness inside of every man. It takes a point of view similar to that of Hobbes. essentially that man is a great savage at heart and that he is only controlled by the shackles created by society and government. Golding shows this through the use of his three main characters as representations of the three pieces of Freud’s theory of human psychology. Jack as the instinct driven id, Piggy as the greater good centered super-ego, and Ralph as the self thought centered ego.But the three of those alone do not make a good novel. Golding needed a power piece to create the conflict, which
It is no secret that the world is plagued by emotions such as fear and greed. These emotions break apart the bonds and relationship humans build with each other. This is a human flaw. As humans, we build societies and bonds and try to establish order through rules and morals, but many times. These societies fall because of internal factors. When fear overruns us and our greed clouds our judgment, it is difficult to remain orderly. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, it is demonstrated that a functioning society can disintegrated after the members of the society begin to fall prey to the plague that resides within them. The boys came from a well established country with the mentality of forming a system that would help them survive and be
Although there are many interpretations of Golding’s Lord of the Flies, one of the most important is one that involves an examination of Freudian ideas. The main characters personify Sigmund Freud’s theory of the divisions of the human mind; thus, Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon are metaphors for the id, ego, and the super-ego of Freudian psychology, respectively. The inclusion of psychological concepts in this literary work distinguish it as a commentary on human nature, beyond labels of “adventure” or “coming of age” novel. Many readers are left in shock upon reading Golding’s masterpiece because of the children’s loss of innocence, but most fail to consider
Lord of the Flies provides one with a clear understanding of Golding's view of human nature. Whether this view is right or wrong is a point to be debated. This image Golding paints for the reader, that of humans being inherently bad, is a perspective not all people share. Lord of the Flies is but an abstract tool of Golding's to construct the idea of the inherent evil of human nature in the minds of his readers. To construct this idea of the inherent evil, Golding employs the symbolism of Simon, Ralph, the hunt and the island.
Golding has a rather pessimistic view of humanity having selfishness, impulsiveness and violence within, shown in his dark yet allegorical novel Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel, the boys show great self-concern, act rashly, and pummel beasts, boys and bacon. The delicate facade of society is easily toppled by man's true beastly nature.
“There is nothing to fear but fear itself” (Roosevelt). “Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response” (Layton). Fear affects the brain and can help people or make them in a worse situation than they were in the first place. Fear most motivates/influences people during times of crisis by clouding judgement and becoming a weapon of power.
Over millions of years, man has transformed from a savage, simple creature to a highly developed, complex, and civil being. In Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding shows how under certain circumstances, man can become savage. During nuclear war, a group of British schoolboys crash land on an uninhabited island to escape. Ralph the elected leader, along with Piggy and Simon, tries to maintain civilization, while Jack and his group of choir boys turned hunters slowly become savages obsessed with killing. Through characters’ action and dialogue, Golding illustrates the transformation of civil schoolboys into bloodthirsty savages.
Lord of the Flies is “an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature” (Themes). Many times society will trump human nature, and other times it may be engulfed by it. Freud Sigmund Psychology expresses these thoughts using the terms id, ego, and superego. Freud states that the id is the instinctive and primitive part of a personality, and ego is “that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world” (Freud). Sigmund Freud also uses superego to represent the values and morals that are taught through someone else. Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies during a time of war. In times of war, people become killers and savages to “protect” the country they are fighting for.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies shows man’s inhumanity to man. This novel shows readers good vs. evil through children. It uses their way of coping with being stranded on an island to show us how corrupt humans really are.
In Lord of the Flies, Golding is able to exemplify intelligence, violence, and leadership, through the behaviors, responses, and actions of Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, respectively. Golding provides insight into the delicate touch-and-go basis of human nature, something that to this day has yet to be fully understood.