AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CIVILIZING GROUP OF CHARACTERS IN LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING THROUGH THE LENS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS THEORY

Abstract

This study analyzes the psychoanalytic features in a selected British novel titled Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954). As a multi-layered literary work, the novel not only serves as an examination of the darkness that exists within humanity but also reflects a more general twentieth-century disillusionment, accentuated by the author’s experience in the Second World War. In this novel, the major characters like Ralph, Piggy, and Simon who are classified as the civilizing instinct characters signify important and universal themes. The thesis utilizes a qualitative-descriptive method based on Freudian theory (Psychoanalysis criticism) to see how the author characterizes the characters' personalities, and the way these characters are depicted as parts of the human psyche. In regard to the findings, the characters’ personalities are revealed, as well as how they dramatically illustrate Sigmund Freud's theory of the human personality. While the protagonist Ralph represents ego (the realistic part of the mind that mitigates the primitive with the conscience), Piggy and Simon, each possesses characteristics that display the role of superego (the moral and societal standards’ compass). Generally, the analysis through the lens of psychoanalysis criticism can enhance the significance and provide valuable and profound insights into the famous story Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Further research should also be conducted focusing on the contrasting type of characters- the barbarizing instinct characters aside from the three characters discussed in this study.