A BRIEF AND INCOMPLETE OVERVIEW OF FREUDIAN PSYCHOLOGY

and DIRECTIONS FOR ANNOTATIONS 

Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia. Until his death in London in 1939, he achieved many accolades for his groundbreaking work in psychology. Freud believed that all behavior is caused therefore can be explained. To facilitate his explanations, Freud divided the human personality into three parts: the id (primal urge), the ego (intellect), and the superego (conscience).       In Lord of the Flies, Jack is the strongest voice of the id. Ralph represents the ego, and Piggy is the embodiment of the superego.   Annotation directions are in PURPLE below each section.

 THE ID

In Lord of the Flies the boys often act like animals. According to Freud, the id is governing their actions at these times. The id is the source of instinctive energy, and it seeks satisfaction through pleasure. Throughout the novel, Jack’s behavior is id driven; however, from the moment Ralph mimics a fighter plane and shoots Piggy in chapter one, we realize that ALL the boys (with the exception of Simon) associate violence with pleasure. They often make pleasure noises: “She-aa-ow!” (11) which are coupled with sadistic acts. Freud believed the id was the most primitive part of the human personality.

 
 Remember, the id does not know right from wrong; it simply operates according to the pleasure principle. The major shortcoming of the id is that it does not direct a person to make any provisions for the future. People who seek nothing more than pleasure do not live long. As the boys discuss their priorities on the island, Jack says, “Rescue? Yes, Of course! All the same, I'd like to catch a pig first” (53). To the id-driven Jack, rescue is not important because rescue necessitates the maintenance of a signal fire, which necessitates hard work.

Illustrative Question: Why is the missing boy at the close of chapter two the first indication of the problems associated with id-gratifying behavior?

To annotate for evidence of the id,

(1)     Find and underline different sections of the novel where the boys enjoy violent or destructive acts, adding your notes in the margins.

(2)     Find and underline Jack’s progression as the id takes over, adding notes in the margin about the escalating severity.

(3)     Note what happens to the island itself at the end of the story. Be sure to mark appropriate sections of your text.

THE EGO

Because people cannot live by the id alone, Freud believed that we developed another part of the personality which intelligently releases and restrains the id. The ego is the “control center” of the personality; it holds the id back until an appropriate means of release can be found. Please note that the ego can serve the id; it intelligently releases and restrains the id. In the novel, Ralph represents the ego, and he often joins with Jack. However, the ego’s functioning is affected not only by the demands of the id (Jack), but also by the prompting of the superego (Piggy).

It is important for all intelligent readers of Lord of the Flies to recognize the purpose of the human intellect. The intellect organizes and interprets information brought to a person by his senses. Without this capacity, human beings would be similar to the boys at the end of the novel. Without reason, men are as animals: “What are we? Humans? Or animals?” (91). Free will is attendant upon the free and proper functioning of the intellect. An animal has a will, but it is not free; an animal’s will is governed by its appetites. It is precisely the restraint of carnal pleasures which separates civilized human beings from animals.

Illustrative Question: How can you tell that Ralph knows that certain behaviors must be governed in order to preserve human life?

To annotate for evidence of the ego,

(4)     Note how Ralph attempts to balance the opposing desires of Piggy and Jack in the novel, adding your thoughts to the places where the conflict moves the plot forward.

(5)     Think of the ego as the intellect; note Ralph’s many attempts to make rational decisions, adding your notes in the margins.

THE SUPEREGO

Parents are representatives of society. They teach us how to value and distinguish between right and wrong. The superego is the part of the human personality which tells the person what he should or should not do. In short, the superego is the voice of your parents. In the novel, the superego is Piggy. The superego follows rules and traditions.  As Piggy is introduced, we note he is not as physically capable as the other boys. He must wear glasses, he cannot swim, and he has asthma. Piggy must depend upon the tools of civilization to survive because he is physically challenged.

Illustrative Question: Why can Piggy be successful only when the other boys obey the conventional rules of civilized society?

To annotate for evidence of the superego,

(6)     Note places in the text where Piggy is the voice of civilized society, the superego, adding your notes in the margins.

(7)     Note how Piggy loves the conch and the order it represents, adding your notes about how he attempts to use the conch to control the id.

(8)     Underline sections of the novel where Piggy comes into conflict with Jack, adding your notes in the margins.  Remember that this is the conflict between the id (primal, violent urges) and the superego (conscience, morality).

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