The Freudian psychoanalytic theory deals with the psychological makeup of the characters, how symbols show the characters’ true selves, and how repressed desires of the author or the characters are expressed in the text. Freud also created the concept of the human psyche, made of the id, the ego, and the superego, which can also be applied to characters in the text. This theory can be applied to Lord of the Flies by discussing Jack’s psychological state throughout the story, the various symbols and how their meaning changes, and what characters represent the id, ego, and superego.
Jack exhibits traits of multiple different mental disorders. He clearly has a very established superiority complex, evidenced by how much he controls the other choir boys and believes himself to be fit to lead because he can hit a certain note when singing. He also tries to gain control over the boys on the island at the beginning of the book. Jack also demonstrates several psychotic tendencies in the book. When he was in school, he most likely channeled his psychotic tendencies into controlling the choir, shown by how he behaves at the beginning of the book. He refuses to let the choir boys even sit down when they had been walking on the island for a long time and were obviously under an immense amount of stress, and one of them even passes out, which he has no discernable reaction to other than mild irritation. Even his demeanor is incredibly uptight at the beginning of the book, like when he rejected the name Jack in dismissal of “kids’ names,” choosing Merridew instead. This shows that Jack is incredibly arrogant and has a superiority complex, because he is 12 years old and definitely still a kid. His true nature was being suppressed by the strict rules of the school and the general constraints of society. But as soon as Jack was free from these limitations, his true savagery was unleashed. His desire to kill reveals itself as soon as it has an outlet, suggesting that that impulse was always inside of him, but the laws of the world prevented him from fulfilling it. His obsession with hunting becomes his outlet, to such a point that he ignored his other responsibilities, such as keeping the fire going, leading to the boys not being rescued. This obsession becomes more and more extreme the longer the boys are on the island, demonstrated by the fact that Jack cannot bring himself to kill a pig that was stuck in the brush at the beginning of the book, but clearly takes great pleasure in slitting a pig’s throat later in the story, as he puts the pig on a stake and parades it through the island singing a disturbing song boasting of his accomplishment. The obsession becomes so intense that Jack even attempts to kill Ralph towards the end of the book, and also brutally kills Simon with the help of the rest of the boys. Jack loses all morality and humanity throughout the story, allowing him to realize his true self and all his previously repressed desires. It is clear in the book that Jack is a psychopath that has no issue with rejecting the rules of society and becoming completely savage.
Symbols are very frequently used in Lord of the Flies and each contributes to important aspects of the story. The main symbols are the conch shell, the boys’ hair, and the beast. Ralph and Piggy find the conch shell at the beginning of the book, and it quickly becomes the central part of the “government” of the boys on the island. It represents civilization and its ensuing order. If a boy is holding the conch shell, they are allowed to speak, and blowing the conch shell calls the boys to a meeting, meaning the conch is almost a form of democracy on the island. The conch shell is ultimately destroyed when Roger drops a rock on Piggy and kills him, which represents the boys’ complete loss of order and the destruction of their society. Their last tether to humanity is lost when their imitation of civilization is gone. Another important symbol is the boys’ hair. As the boys are on the island for more time, their hair grows longer and begins to fall in their face, covering their eyes. This represents their slow descent into savagery and that they are losing sight of what is truly important, escaping the island, in favor of relishing in their freedom and doing whatever they want to. Piggy’s hair is said to never grow any longer, showing that Piggy is the most innocent of the group and stays true to his morals even when he is the only one doing so. Ralph is also often described as pushing his hair out of his eyes, showing that he is struggling to cling to his morals and not resort to savagery as the other boys are doing. When Ralph hits the pigs head and breaks its skull towards the end, this represents his inevitable fall into savagery and loss of morality. One of the most important symbols in the book is the beast, which is frequently mentioned throughout the story. The beast represents the savagery in the hearts of men and the evil nature of humanity. The boys believe that the beast is a physical being that is a threat to them, and they fear its presence, demonstrated by the fact that the choir boys attack and kill Simon when they believe that he is the beast. At the beginning of the story, when the beast is first introduced, Ralph refuses to believe its existence, showing that he is trying to maintain order and doesn’t foresee the inevitable fate of the boys. Ralph and Piggy at one point wish for a sign from the adult world, and they then find a dead parachutist, and the boys see him as a manifestation of the beast they all feared. In reality, the beast is inside all of the boys, and they are all defeated by it when they lose control of themselves and become savage. Simon is the only one who realizes the true nature of the beast, and he is then killed when he comes upon the boys participating in a frenzied dance. They boys convince themselves that the beast is a physical monster, because if the beast was something able to be defeated, it was less scary. Instead, the beast is something they cannot escape or defeat, so long as they stay on their current path.
A part of the Freudian theory is the existence of the id, ego, and superego, the three parts of the human psyche. Jack represents the id, Ralph represents the ego, and Piggy represents the superego. The id is often referred to as the pleasure center, the basic impulses and desires of the brain. It operates entirely based on the wants of a person and desires instant gratification for whatever it desires, no matter the consequences. Jack focuses entirely on his obsession, hunting and killing a pig, and he ignores any other responsibilities he has that would be more helpful in the long run, like keeping the fire going, building shelters, or collecting water. His single-mindedness ruins the boys’ first chance at escape. Ralph represents the ego, the part of a person that tries to meet desires within the constraints of society, and considers the reality and consequences of actions before doing them. He focuses on long term issues and is much more practical. When the other boys are messing around and having fun instead of helping him, he gets angry at them and holds a meeting to lecture them about it. His priority is getting rescued and keeping order, so he tries to stick to his morals and enforce the rules of society that exist in the normal world. He attempts to resist the temptation of freedom from the constraints of the world and instead builds a system that mostly functions as a type civilization, but eventually fails when the boys descend into savagery. Piggy represents the superego, the part of the psyche that considers morality and ethics of actions before doing them. Piggy is one of the only boys that seems to never be tempted by the freedom the island presents, and instead cares about helping Ralph and going home. He is separated very sharply from the other boys in this respect, and he inevitably is killed by Roger for this difference. Using the concept of the human psyche to analyze these characters shows that the boys are a representation of humanity and its evil tendencies.
Analyzing Lord of the Flies using the Freudian theory is very helpful because the characters all change dramatically throughout the book. Many characters harbor repressed desires that are revealed when they are free from adults and the rules of society. Considering the motivations behind the actions of the characters allows you to gain insight into the minds of the characters and see their true selves. The book provides a look at the darker side of humanity and the nature of evil in the hearts of men.