Sigmund Freud's Ego In Lord Of The Flies

Sigmund Freud’s Ego in Lord of the Flies

In the article, “The Final Period” Sigmund Freud Revisited states that, “the relation of the ego to the id as that of a man on horseback trying to hold back the superior strength of the horse. The ego, like the rider who often has to guide his horse where the horse wants to go, must transform the id’s will into action as if it was its own.” (“Sigmund Freud Revisited”). Freud’s theories on psychoanalysis are illustrated by a book about young boys stranded on an island. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Ralph’s personality represents Sigmund Freud’s theory on the ego. To begin with, Ralph demonstrates many of the ego characteristics including the ability to think realistically. In the article,

On the island, Ralph establishes order right away and begins devising a plan to “make smoke on top of the mountain” so they could be rescued, instead of going hunting like Jack wanted (Golding 38). This shows that Ralph can resist social pressure while deciding the proper course of action and also make the responsible decision. Ralph also has moral standards and chooses to eat crab and fish instead of slaughtering a pig. He makes the rule of “Where the conch is, that’s a meeting.” (Golding 44). Using the conch, Ralph calls meetings and insists that only the person holding the conch could speak. His rules and ability to organize long-term goals by keeping the fire going kept the colony intact for a while. Ralph shows ego through his organizational skills willingness to assume the role of leader. When Jack “pinched Piggy’s specs” Ralph insisted that he “give them back” (Golding 204). Ralph demonstrates ego by realizing that stealing is wrong and demands that Jack return the specs to Piggy. However, Ralph still makes mistakes by insulting Piggy and calling him by his nickname even when Piggy told him not to. The way Ralph interacts with Jack and Piggy and the process he uses to obtain order shows the ego