Summary Of The Flies, By Sigmund Freud

In the nineteenth century, Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud researched and presented his analysis of the three parts of personality. He determined that there were three parts to the personality: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. The Id represents the primary component of personality, present from birth, that contains a person’s needs and desires. The Ego illustrates the conscious mind that balances a person’s desire with aspects of reality. The Superego divides into two parts: the Ego Ideal and the Conscience. The Ego Ideal contains the morals for good behavior, and contains emotions such as pride and honor. In contrast, the Conscience contains the morals for bad behavior, and contains emotions such as guilt and regret. In William Golding’s

After being thrown onto the island, Ralph, a boy around twelve years old, was forced to completely mature and take responsibility when he was elected chief of the group. He becomes caught up in who he used to be, a carefree, innocent child, and who he needs to be, a strong, responsible leader. He endeavors to allows the boys to have fun and be creative on the island, but he also knows that they need to get their act together and obey the rules if they want to survive. He recognizes the importance of the fire, over the importance of hunting, and does not let that escape the hunters. Ralph says, “Look at us! How many are we? And yet we can’t keep a fire going to make smoke. Don’t you understand? Can’t you see we ought to-ought to die before we let the fire out?” (Golding 81). In this scene, Ralph rebukes the hunters for letting the fire go out, as even a chance of rescue will not be possible without a strong burning fire. He mediates between good and evil by telling the boys the unacceptable consequences of their neglect, and that they need to follow the rules. He says this forcefully, so the boys do not take it lightly, but he does not lose his sanity. This conversation shows his attempt to keep the peace during the punishment. He understands that if he takes this too far, the boys will not look up to him as a leader anymore. However, he does not let Jack get

His character represents all the goodness left in humanity, while war engulfs the entire world. Golding writes, “Then, amid the roar of the bees in the afternoon sunlight, Simon found for them the fruit they could not reach, pulled off the choicest, from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, outstretched hands” (Golding 56). In this description, Golding paints a picture of Simon as a model of good behavior. Simon helps the littluns get the fruit they cannot reach, while Jack and Ralph are arguing in the distance. In the darkest of times, even stranded on an island, Simon manages to smile through it and help those in need. In addition, he does not just help the children to get the job done, he makes sure to choose the best fruit from high up in the tree. This act of kindness proves that Simon perfectly models the Ego