The Lord of The Flies Psychological Analysis.
an attempt to trace the defects of society back to.
The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on.
the ethical nature of the individual." - William Golding, author. The problem.
is that no matter what the level of ethics in the individual, there is always.
the dormant aggression in humanity that can present itself in the absence of a.
strong lawful, moral authority. In an extreme case of isolation from the laws.
and rules of society, such as in "The Lord of the Flies- (LOTF), conformity,.
persuasion and aggression can cause an individual to abandon their ethics and.
revert back to baser instincts. Intense anxiety producing situations like this.
can manufacture certain psychological disorders and/or exaggerate already.
existing psychological characteristics. The defence mechanisms used to cope.
with this extreme situation are quite strong, considering the events of the.
story.
This novel is basically a microcosm for the human condition. We all would like.
to believe that we are quite civilized, but trying situations such as in LOTF.
can bring out the worst in human beings. Does our strength of character and.
morals have a chance against our darker inner instincts for violence and evil? .
This novel takes the dismal view that we are all capable of such things given.
the right conditions, and there is a constant battle going on in ourselves,.
between the two sides. Ralph and Jack could be viewed, as according to Jung's.
theory of collective unconsciousness, as archetypes of good and evil (Feldman et.
al. 2004), order and chaos. Ralph starts out trying to represent society and.
authority. He continually states that the rules (conch etc.) are all that they.
have. Meaning without structure, moral degeneration has the chance to run.
rampant. Jack represents chaos. His dictatorship and ethical nature are what.
shaped their society into murderous savages. The beast was their inner fears.
