What Is The Id Ego Superego In Lord Of The Flies

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In Lord of the Flies the characters behave in a manner that is explained through psychoanalytic concepts, the id, ego, and superego of the main characters are represented through their actions, and conscious and unconscious behaviors. The id is the unconscious and instinctive part of the psyche. It acts on feelings and wants; it only wants immediate satisfaction and is not caring about the complications or consequences. It lives in an irrational and fantasy oriented world. In Lord of the Flies, Jack is the Id of the novel. He acts on instinct. He wants “to catch a pig” then “Kill the pig” and “cut her throat”. He never shows much concern on being rescued or doing anything to save everyone. He wants the satisfaction of the kill and showing everyone that “next time” he “could kill it” since he hesitated the first time. Jack only ever uses his id in his actions explaining his unconscious and conscious behavior throughout the novel. Just as the Id wants immediate satisfaction without consequences, so does Jack, he wants to kill the sow not taking time to think why he wants to or if he is even doing the right thing for himself and the other boys.…show more content…
The ego works with reality and reason to make choices. Same as the id it wants satisfaction but is more reasonable about it. The ego also tries to persuade the id of the “good” decision. Ralph is the ego in the novel. He wants to “keep the order and sanity” on the island but also has a savage side like Jack. Ralph uses “the conch to hold meetings” and represent his role as the leader. He focuses on getting everyone saved but not on little details, about food and shelter and keeping account of all the boys. Ralph knows that the right thing to do is to be saved but can sometimes let his id take over and try to get fast incomplete satisfaction. Ralphs ego and his role as the ego in the novel explain his actions and

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