Sigmund Freud, a famous 20th century neurologist, proposed the theory of the id, ego, and the superego. The id is the most basic level of human existence. This part of his theory is that at a subconscious level, people always act on selfishly due to an primitive need for survival and pleasure. The ego is what has developed due to the existence of modern society. This part of the human psyche is the intermediary level between the superego and the id. The superego is the complete creation of society. The superego is the part of the human consciousness that supposedly does its actions based around the idea of doing what is right. No book better represents the internal strife between the id and the superego than the book As I Lay Dying by William…show more content… Anse is the husband of Addie Bundren, the decrepit woman whom the story takes place around. He, like most of the characters in this story, is extremely hypocritical. Often times, Anse will claim that all his actions are routed with the best intentions, that he only wants to see what's best for the family to come to past. If one actually examines the motives behind his actions though, you can see he is quite selfish. No scene exemplifies this more than when Addie has finally been put to rest, shortly afterwards, Anse murmurs to himself "God's will be done . . . now I can get them teeth" (Faulkner 115). It is here that the reader can see that Anse is truly a selfish man. He claims to act upon his superego throughout most of the book by claiming to always have his family in mind with his actions, but in reality, all his actions are rooted in his id. It is throughout the character of Anse that William Faulkner is able to show how people use superego based justifications to avoid the reality of their condition. Anse refuses to admit how much his id affects who he is as a person, similar to how we as people refuse to see how interweaved our most selfless actions are to our most selfish
