Lord Of The Flies: A Symbolic Microcosm Of Society

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sense.

Jack's unwillingness to acknowledge the conch as the source of centrality
on the island and Ralph as the seat of power is consistent with the
portrayal of his particular self-importance. Freud also linked the id to
what he called the destructive drive, the aggressiveness of self-ruin.
Jack's antithetical lack of compassion for nature, for others, and
ultimately for himself is thoroughly evidenced in his needless hunting, his
role in the brutal murders of Simon and Piggy, and finally in his burning
of the entire island, even at the cost of his own life.

In much the same way, Piggy's demeanor and very character links him to the
superego, the conscience factor in Freud's model of the psyche. Golding
marks Piggy with the distinction of being more intellectually mature than
the others, branding him with a connection to a higher authority: the
outside world. It is because the superego is dependent on outside support
that Piggy fares the worst out of the three major ...

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need to be rescued, often turning to Piggy for
advice. Initially, in the relative harmony of the island society's early
emergence, Ralph is able to balance the opposing id and superego influences
in order to forge a purpose: rescue. It is only as the balance devolves
that the fate of the island's inhabitants is darkly determined.

Among Ralph, Piggy and Jack exists a constant struggle to assert their
particular visions over the island. As the authority of leadership by
default falls to Ralph, the conch then becomes symbolic of the
consciousness. Its possession rotates between Ralph and Piggy in order to
determine logical courses of action for the boys. Jack however, ...

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