Sigmund Freud Compared to Lord of the Flies

Megan Geary

What dominates your personality?

Have you ever questioned what makes us behave the way that we do? In the 1900's Sigmund Freud developed the structural model of personality. In his well developed theory named Psychoanalytic Criticism, Sigmund Freud stated that there are three parts to our mind. Freud published two books that introduced the public to the unconscious mind. We are all born with our id. It is the part of the personality that contains our primitive impulses. The id is based on our pleasure principle and contains all of our basic wants and feelings. The second part of the personality is the ego. The ego maintains a balance between our id and superego. The job of the ego is to meet the desires of our is while still taking into consideration the true reality of the situation. The last part of our personality is the superego, which develops by the time that we are five. The superego is the part of our personality that represents our conscience. Freud concluded that the principled part of us develops due to the moral and ethical restraints that are placed by our parents.

Every person’s identity and personality contains an id, ego, and superego which are used every day. However, we are all dominated by our id, ego, and superego. This domination is a reflection of the environment that we are raised in. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, the young boys must survive alone on the island where their plane has landed. The boys must rely on their ids, egos, and superegos if they want to be rescued. Piggy knows right from wrong and always follows what his conscience tells him. Piggy’s superego is a direct representation of the way he was raised at home. Piggy, one of the older boys on the island, is conquered by his superego. Because of his mature personality, many conflicts emerge and the island begins to gradually tear apart.

When Ralph and Piggy first arrive they are not aware of the existence of others on the island. They stay together and talk about their lives at home before the war started. As they are walking, they come across a pink shell glistening under the sand. Piggy shares his knowledge with Jack about the shell and tells him that you can blow into it and it will make a sound. Jack tries and it makes a thunderous noise. After Jack and