It develops from the Id and rationalises it, while functioning in your subconscious, preconscious and unconscious. The ego is based on the ‘reality principle’ which, like the id, strives to fulfil needs and wants, however the ego works on the basis of making socially acceptable and considerate actions, thus ignoring impulses and avoiding immoral behaviour. Ralph fits into the concept of the ego, as he is caught between the super-ego (Piggy and Simon) and the id (Jack). “"There’s another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire." (page 35) This was an important part of the novel, as it also causes the boys to get rescued at the end after transcending into savagery. It is a rational and well thought out idea which proves that Ralph’s ego prevails. Also, “You pinched Piggy’s specs. You’ve got to give them back…You played a dirty trick-we’d have given you fire if you’d asked for it…You could have had fire whenever you wanted. But you didn’t. You came sneaking up like a thief and stole Piggy’s glasses” (page 176), exhibits Ralph’s protectiveness over Piggy. In contrast, Ralph also shows certain behaviour that relates with the id, by saying “Sucks to your ass-mar” (page 13). Likewise, he betrays Piggy’s trust by telling the other boys about Piggy’s nickname against Piggy’s wishes “He’s not Fatty, …show more content…
Golding suggests that there is a bit of a ‘beast’ in everyone, in Freud’s terms, that the id is demonstrated. Although under normal conditions, your super-ego might be mostly used, when in danger your id may overcome morality. It is in the form of violent impulses that are usually hidden from people, but shown when situations call for it. This view is proved by Freud's theory of the psyche, which says that if there was a lack of civilized rules for the super-ego to learn, then the negative forces concealed in the mind would be shown, this validated was in Lord of the