Why do some people act crude? Sigmund Freud’s theory about the conscious and unconscious mind explains why. Id, ego, and superego are all part of the mind, and when there’s an absence of civilization, the most powerful element of the mind comes out. If no civilization happens, then according to Sigmund Freud, id, ego, and superego will occur because of the loss of civilization.
One principal example of Freud’s theory about id is Jack. Jack ignores his responsibilities of keeping the signal fire, which symbolizes rescue and survival, lit for hunting, and he works for total command over the group. He doesn’t obey the rules set by Ralph. “Bollocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down! We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat–!”(91). ‘Bullocks’ is another word for cow, and in this quote, it is used in the knowledge that Jack does not care about the rules. The id concentrates on the primitive and direct satisfaction rather than the irrelevant future. In Jack’s case, his id takes over, and thus Jack cares much more about hunting and survival than being rescued.
Piggy shows a great example of the superego. Piggy is always there when the group undergoes a significant event. For instance, when Jack took Piggy’s glasses and used them to light the first bonfire. “His specs-use them as burning glasses!”(40). ‘Specs’ is a word that the group uses for glasses, and Piggy’s ‘specs’ can be seen as the boys’ only way to create fire. The superego represents human nature. The superego often behaves like the characters’ angel on their shoulder that guides them to do anything is morally correct, and Piggy is one of those characters.
In the novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding, Freud’s theory about id, ego, and superego get proven when Jack doesn’t follow the rules, and also when Piggy is used for his glasses to start the signal fire. In a loss of civilization, what part of Freud’s theory will come out in you?