The book "Lord of the Flies", by William Golding, displays a good understanding of psychological thought of young boys. At the beginning the boys find themselves on a deserted island without any authority. While the boys start off well, disaster soon takes place and they lose their civilized self learned by society. For instance, without rules or adults the boys become less civilized. Unfortunately, the boy's id eventually consumes their super ego and doing so affects their personality. Also, towards the ending the boys display savagery and act as if they were animals. Finally, the boys devolved from innocence to savages by eliminating rules, allowing their id to take over and act as savages and animals.
At the beginning the boy's id was controlled by the super ego and their choices were based on what society taught them. Afterwards, the super ego is finally completely consumed by the id at the ending. "The id (located in the unconscious mind) works always to gratify its own impulses. These impulses, often sexual, seek to provide pleasure without regard to cost."(Henningfeld par. 9) Also, the id wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the situation. The id doesn't care about reality, about the needs of anyone else, only its own satisfaction. Additionally, at the beginning of the book the boys were much more civilized. For example, when they had a vote for who would be the leader. One starts to see the id come out first in Jack. When Jack goes off to hunt and lets the fire go out. He tells Ralph how his hunters along with himself killed a pig, and how "There was lashings of blood" (L.O.F, 73). Moreover, Jack represents the id in the book. Unfortunately, everything the boys do or act upon is to please them selves and benefit from it. The super ego is the moral part of us and develops when caregivers place moral restrains on us. Also, the superego states our belief of right and wrong. One starts to see the super ego come out in Piggy. It is when the boys first arrive on the island, Piggy tells Ralph to call a meeting by blowing the conch. Piggy reveals that he does not know how to blow one because, "My auntie wouldn't let me on account of my asthma" (L.O.F, 16). However, this shows that he believes in the rules taught by society. Piggy's connection with the super ego can also be seen when the boys attempt to create a fire for the first time, while holding the conch. Piggy says, "I got the conch. You let me speak."(L.O.F, 42) The conch represents order to Piggy, and order is what he was taught by his caregiver. Order conflicts the id's desire to speak whenever it pleases. In addition, when Piggy stands up for the rules, he is challenging the id, Jack, and showing how he stands for the super ego.Finally, when the boys lost have lost control of the fire, Piggy says, "That little'un that had a make on his face-where is-he now? I tell you and I don't see him. -where is he now? (L.O.F, 46) Piggy tries to tell everyone that it is everyone's fault for letting the fire get out of hand, not just one person is at fault. Also, this clashes with the ids desire to create a large fire. On the other hand, "Freud always said that a good balance between the id and super ego leads to a healthy psyche."(Koopmans 86) In addition, this is the situation in this book, until Piggy is killed and the id over comes the super ego, and everything falls out of place and disfunctions.
The boys in the book eventually devolve from civilized to savages and act as animals. The boys start to learn how powerful the act of killing is, and how the sense of power feels. Also, they started to apply face paint, the face paint acted as a mask. In addition, this detached the wearer from his own actions. A boy wearing paint could do anything he wanted without any feeling, of shame, or guilt because he felt that he was just a spectator. For instance, in the book "Lord of the Flies Understanding Great Literature", it states, "Jack paints his face to prepare for what becomes the first successful hunt. When he is done, he does not even recognize himself." (Koopmans 57) This shows that during the hunt the boys are different people, much less animals. At the beginning the boys were hunting because they needed food, through out the book we see that the boys continue hunting out of pleasure. Jack starts to be obsessed with hunting. For example, "You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home-"(L.O.F, 70) This quotes shows that Jack is beginning to care about hunting than going home, because of the sense of power it drives him after a kill. Also, the boys begin to chant thing like, "Kill the pig! Cut her throat. Spill her blood!"(L.O.F, 69) This shows savage and cruel behavior the boys have adapted. On the other hand, not all the boys have devolved into savages. For instance, Piggy realizes that what the boys have become is savage like, they are worst than animals. He says, "What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?" (L.O.F, 98) They boys feel ashamed for what they have become.
Rules take a large impact on the boy's actions and how they protect each other from their own violence. Society holds everyone together, and without these conditions, our ideals, values, and the basics of right and wrong are lost. Without society's firm rules savagery will rise above the surface. Also, morals come straight from our surroundings, and if there is no civilization around us, we will lose these values. The boys are ecstatic when they realize there are no adults on the island, that there is no authority to listen to.However, they decided to make rules immediately after they were all together. For instance, "We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything." Said Jack.(L.O.F,42 )Obviously, this does not work out for the boys. Later on, the boys start to ignore the especially Jack. They start to prefer to hunt and have fun, obeying by the rules is not fun for them. "Those rules come from the adult world, which is absent. Without them and the power to enforce them, incipient democracy breaks down." (Bryfonski 77) In addition, the boys need to protect themselves from each other. For instance, Jack tries to get the boys to be follow him, he uses the boys fear to control them, "I expect the beast disguised himself. Perhaps [.]. We'd better keep on the right side of him, anyhow. You can't tell what he might do. The tribe considered this; and then were shaken, as if by a flow of wind. The chief saw the effect of his words and stood abruptly."(L.O.F, 142-143)
Finally, rules are longer an option, Jack becomes leader and controls the boys to follow him by continuously mentioning the beast. For example, "We've got to have rules and obey them. The rules!" shouted Ralph, "you're breaking the rules!" "Who cares?" Said Jack.(L.O.F, 91) Lastly, rules have been forgotten and Jack has great power over the young boys chaos now starts, civilization is at the peak of not existing.
Therefore, as a result of no rules and authority, their id's consuming their super ego, and embracing to act as animals the boys devolved from innocent to experienced savages. In addition, the boys needed an equal balance of the id and super ego to maintain civilized thought process and would have not embraced savagery. Lastly, fear of the beast, and not having rules pushed their humanity over the edge. "Lord of the Flies", is an outstanding book that shows that evil is an inborn trait of mankind.
"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."(L.O.F, 225)
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