Superego In Lord Of The Flies

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The Characters in Lord of the flies written by William Golding represent Sigmund Freud’s theory of id, ego, and superego, by showing us the examples of instincts, leadership, and decisions. Id would be the mind showing us how to survive, when ego shows us how to pleasure ourselves in the most appropriate ways. Superego showing us what is right, and what is wrong. Golding shows multiple examples in the book for us to see.
Sigmund Freud is considered “one of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the twentieth century for his development if the theories and methodologies of psychoanalysis” according to DISCovering Authors. In 1895 he began forming his theory of free association, which allowed his patients to freely summon submerged …show more content…
It tries to satisfy the id in the most appropriate and effective ways. For example, if someone is on a diet, and they see sweets or cake, the id is going to want to eat the cake, but their ego would say no, and find a more appropriate dessert that fits the diet. Golding shows an example of this in the beginning of Lord of the Flies when piggy wants to run but he remembers that his auntie tells him not to run because he has asthma. “My auntie told me not to run,” he explained, “on account of my asthma.” “Ass-mar?” “That’s right. Can’t catch my breath. I was the only boy in our school what had asthma,” said the fat boy with a touch of pride. “And I’ve been wearing specs since I was three” (Golding 9). He had to stop running because his body knew that he couldn't but also because he knew that he couldn't, so his body was in a more stable environment. Ralph is also a great example in the book. Between the instinctual needs and the social needs, Ralph would face certain situations where he had to make the right decision for the group, because, he was the chief of the boys. Golding shows an example, when Jack's tribe take Piggy’s glasses and Ralph has to decide whether he wants to get them back or not. “What you goin’ to do, Ralph? This is jus’ talk without deciding. I want my glasses.” “I’m trying to think. Supposing we go, looking like we used to, washed and hair brushed—after all we aren’t savages really and being rescued isn’t a game—” He opened the flap of his cheek and looked at the twins. “We could smarten up a bit and then go” (Golding 245). Making decisions can be hard, but in this case it was just a simple “yes.” but that still shows how Ralph had to think and make his best decision for the group of boys so they would get
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