In William Golding’s classic novel, Lord of the Flies, three of the main characters are written to kill each other eventually based on their differences. These characters are so different, it raises the stakes for every event they reach throughout the novel. By writing the boys in this fashion Golding has created very strong conflicts that are constantly addressed through the entire novel, thus giving the readers an extremely interesting read. When reading this novel and taking into consideration the way Golding was thinking and how he wanted to raise the stakes for these characters, the differences that were written completely make sense. Golding wrote these characters so drastically different to show the differences between Sigmund Freud’s …show more content…
He expresses his personality with his words and attachment to his Auntie and any grown up. According to Saul McLeod “the superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development” (McLeod). McLeod is saying that typically the superego in a human’s personality has child-like characteristics and they never lose those characteristics. Continually through the novel Piggy is clinging to civilization. For example he is the only boy who wore clothes all the way through the novel. He also was the last boy to care about the conch, which was a symbol of civilization and rules on the island for the boys. To cope with this experience on the island Piggy, as the superego, clings to his childhood innocence. In the process of Piggy coping with his problems this tactic is the opposite of someone who would be categorized as an id. This supports the hatred Jack has for Piggy for the duration of the novel. An example of Piggy clinging to what is left of his life is "My auntie told me not to run…” (Golding, 1.9). All Piggy ever knew was that he wasn’t allowed to do anything because his Auntie was so protective of him. This may have led to his superego tendencies and his hardships on the island. With these tendencies it is extremely difficult for Piggy to relate and get along with those that are not like him. Even though Piggy is very innocent he is extremely intelligent and knows more than people give him credit for. For example he says “maybe there is a beast...what I mean is...maybe it’s only us” (Golding, 5.183-195). He knows better than to believe in a monster on the island, but because his tendencies lean toward the superego the boys don’t think they can trust him which inevitably leads to their demise on the island. On
Piggy is upset with Ralph before they leave the island because Ralph thinks it is ok to make their choir boy group into hunters to kill animals. For example in the story in chapter 1 it says “Ralph talked the group into becoming hunters and killing a pig stuck in rope. Another example is when they left to go to walk and look around the lagoon Ralph saw a pig and chased it but stopped himself and said “ next time I will show no mercy.” Piggy didn't want to be a killer nor wanted his friends to
Ralph shows actions of id and superego by deciding to act as a leader or become savage like Jack. Montag also shows actions of id and superego by trying to save society or be part of the corrupt society. Both Ralph from Lord of the Flies and Montag from Fahrenheit 451 have the same goal to save people through superego actions, which results in having vicious people trying to kill them.
Piggy was a moral person and an uncorrupted person for his time on the island. he was moral because he believed in guidelines and weighed each decision he made with what the rest of society would say. He was moral because of this and never would he stray from what was moral or good in society so he would be mostly correct. Piggy had very strong ideas. when everyone else was starting out on the island, the rest of the worlds rules were with them. everyone slowly was drawn away from
It helps to come to terms with reality, with the world as it is. It is basically the voice of reason. While Jack is the Id in Lord of the Flies, Piggy is the Super Ego. The ability to think things through logically is a characteristic of the Super Ego. “…I can’t think. Not like Piggy…Piggy could think. He could go step by step inside that fat head of his, only Piggy was no chief. But Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains” (78), Piggy was known to be the intellectual on the island. Simon could also be considered a Super Egoistic character because the Super Ego must also have an aptitude for feelings. For example, Simon “shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it” (74) illustrates Simon’s ability to comprehend emotions and understand the way people feel. He does something about people who are treated poorly and sees the true or good side of things. Simon is the second face of the Super Ego. Additionally, “Nothing moved but a pair of gaudy butterflies danced round each other… the white tips of the flowers rose delicately to meet the open air” (57). Here Simon sees the good of the island physically, as he often visits an enclosed clearing in the jungle. Jack, the Id, obviously doesn’t appreciate this area as it is the place where he later murders the mother
Piggy is known for being the most intellectual and reasonable out of the boys. While the other boys are off fooling around and dreaming about their next adventure, Piggy is using reason to plan an organized method of survival on the island where everyone is satisfied. For example, while the other boys were exploring the island, Simon came up with an idea and said, “‘I’ve been thinking,” he said, “about a clock. We could make a sundial. We could put a stick in the sand, and then—’” (Golding 90). Although the boys can rule using any form of government on the island, Piggy attempts to create a civilized and orderly environment by advising Ralph to implement a democratic state. Despite his weak appearance, Piggy has a very strong moral compass and sense of self assurance, meaning, he’s very confident in the moral choices he makes. Since he bases his actions and way of thinking on reason and justice, he has a tendency to believe everyone should follow and share his methods because “rules are rules.” As seen when electing a leader, Piggy believed that because the conch and name system were his ideas, he should have been voted as leader, resulting in “Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand grudgingly into the air.” (Golding 29). Due to his strong confidence, Piggy is not afraid to act upon his beliefs and what is right, even if it may not be a popular
He shows this through Piggy's appearances, personality, and morals. Piggy’s physical description is an enormous factor in the book. Although his physical appearance doesn't change throughout the book it continues to affect him until the end. In the beginning
In the novel The Lord of the flies, William Golding illustrates the decline from innocence to savagery through a group of young boys. In the early chapters of The Lord of the Flies, the boys strive to maintain order. Throughout the book however, the organized civilization Ralph, Piggy, and Simon work diligently towards rapidly crumbles into pure, unadulterated, savagery. The book emphasized the idea that all humans have the potential for savagery, even the seemingly pure children of the book. The decline of all civilized behavior in these boys represents how easily all order can dissolve into chaos. The book’s antagonist, Jack, is the epitome of the evil present in us all. Conversely, the book’s protagonist, Ralph, and his only true ally, Piggy, both struggle to stifle their inner
In one of the chapter’s Piggy states that “How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper” (Golding 45). It shows he is a thinker and more practical than the others. He is the only one who acts mature while other kids just want to have
Piggy tries to do what’s best for everyone. He was the ‘word of reason.’ But since nobody respected him, he was never given power. The author states, “ ‘I got the conch,’ said Piggy indignantly. ‘You let me speak!’ ‘The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain,’ said Jack. ‘So you shut up.’ ‘... I got the conch!’ Jack turned fiercely. ‘You shut up!’ Piggy wilted.” (Golding 42.) Jack treats Piggy as if he is unimportant. All characters show cruelty towards Piggy one way or another. Because Piggy has the mentality of an adult, the boys refuse to listen since they want their freedom. The author indicates, “... Roger with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all
In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses characters to convey the main idea of his novel. The story begins with a war, and a plane carrying several young boys, who are being evacuated, is shot down from the sky. There are no adult survivors; however; the boys were brought together by Ralph blowing on the conch shell. They formed a tribe to stay alive. Slowly the stability and the sense of safety in the group started to deteriorate, similar to the downfall of societies during World War II. They are not only hunting animals now, but they are killing each other like savages in order to stay alive. This action of killing is like Hitler during World War II and his persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.
There is fear that all is not known concerning the Beast. “The beast had teeth… and big black eyes.” The boys did not actually see the Beast and are making this up. This only causes their fear to escalate except for Piggy’s. He is by far the most intellectual and skeptical of the boys. He knows that the adult world and books would not abide by the legend of the ‘beastie’.
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
Piggy’s leadership in the novel is portrayed as knowledgeable but lacks confidence from time to time. Piggy is shown to be a potential leader because of his wisdom. He portrays knowledge from time to time, for example, “We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us-” (12). This exhibits his knowledge of the art of survival. Even though in the novel, Piggy is shown as the weak link, his wisdom out powers his flaws. Although Piggy has lots of wisdom which makes him a potential leader, he lacks confidence. “Piggy opened his mouth to speak, caught Jack’s eye and shut it again.” (42) This proves that Piggy lacks confidence because he is afraid to express his thoughts. He would rather not contribute to a conversation than be laughed at his ideas. However Piggy does see the importance of having priorities. Specifically, when he says, “How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper.” (45) The quote proves that Piggy prioritizes the needs of his pee...
Piggy, who represented clear conscience or brilliance in mankind had no respect or say over much things on the island from the others. Piggy thought it was a bad idea and indeed, it was:
Piggy's literal function in this novel is to be the intellectual and logical thinker to counteract the emotional thinking of the other boys. From the beginning, Piggy viewed everything logically. He quickly came to the realization that the boys may be on the island for a long time, when he told Ralph "Nobody don't know we're here. Your dad don't know, nobody don't know" (9), contrary to Ralph's assumption that his father, who happened to be a naval officer, would simply come and rescue them. While Ralph became the natural leader based on his charisma, "what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy" (18/19). However, it is unfortunate that this intelligence eventually led Piggy to his demise. Piggy's direct way of analyzing a situation and voicing his opinion tended to make him quite un...