Document A
Directions: Please read, annotate and be prepared for the Lord of the Flies On-Demand Essay Test. You must
use a minimum of one concrete detail from this source from Study.com in your timed essay. Your in-text
citation will be (Document A).
Human Nature in Lord of the Flies
Have you ever wondered what would happen in a society if all of the sudden there was no one around to enforce the law
or rules? Maybe it would be a wonderful event where everyone could live according to his or her own dictates and
goodwill would prevail. Or maybe, the opposite would occur and chaos and mayhem would ensue.
These are a few of the questions that author William Golding asks in his novel, Lord of the Flies. Are people inherently
good and evil is an external condition that invades that goodness? Or is evil an internal condition kept in check by the
rules and norms of society?
Golding wrote this novel as a response to Coral Island, an earlier novel that espoused the idea that people are basically
good unless they are tempted by evil and give in to it. Golding, however, utilized the teachings of psychologist Sigmund
Freud, who suggested that there is evil in everyone that must be kept in check by the conscience. Interestingly, if we look
at Lord of the Flies as an allegory or cautionary tale, we can see elements of both sides of the inherently good or
inherently evil argument around human nature.
Premise 1: Humans are Essentially Good Unless Tempted by Evil
Early in the novel, we see elements that support this idea. The boys have just been through a harrowing ordeal that leaves
them stranded on a deserted island without adult supervision or any construct of their society. Yet, they set about
replicating that society in a democratic and fair way. As one of the protagonists, Jack, exclaims,
We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we are not savages. We're English and the English are best at
everything. So we've got to do the right things.
Even though he references a biased position (English are the best at everything), as readers, we are comforted knowing
that the boys will rely on what they have been taught and what has been instilled in them because they are good boys.
They are listening to their consciences and working at creating a microcosm of their home society: allocating jobs,
electing a leader and using the conch to make sure that all voices are heard. These are concrete examples of our first
premise that essentially humans are good unless they are tempted by evil. Yet, as we will soon learn, the internal battle
between good and evil will reach a turning point with catastrophic consequences.
Premise 2: Human Nature has a Dark Side Kept in Check by Society
The opposite position of the idea that humans are essentially good is that human nature is easily tempted and needs laws
and society to keep us in check. Since the boys initial attempt to replicate their home society was successful, their descent
into hedonism and loss of conscience is all the more striking. As time passes and their morals begin to decay, they begin
to fear a superstition they call 'the beast.' However, as they soon discover, the real 'beast' is the monster of the dark side of
their own human nature.
In Chapter 5, the boys are discussing the threat of the beast. One of the protagonists, Simon wonders about the origin of
the beast:
What I mean is…maybe it's only us
It is some people's worst nightmare; a group of boys are left on a stranded island to fend for themselves in William
Golding's Lord of the Flies. But why is this such a scary thought? If we have knowledge of psychology, we know that
humans will act differently in a situation where their basic needs are not met. The lesson will explore some popular
psychological theories and how they relate to Lord of the Flies.
1 Sigmund Freud's Theory of Personality
Many scholars believe that the characters in the novel represent Sigmund Freud's theory of personality. They believe that
Jack represents the id, or the part of our personality concerned with meeting our primal needs. They believe that Ralph
represents the ego, or the part of the personality concerned with satisfying the needs of the id while still adhering to
societal norms. Finally, many believe that Simon and Piggy represent the superego, or that part of the personality
associated with moral judgment.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow sought to understand what motivates people to behave the way they do. He proposed a theory in 1943
called The Hierarchy of Needs. In this theory, Maslow believed that people cannot focus on other needs until the lower
needs are met. Look at the image above. He believed that if people could not meet the basic physiological and safety
needs that they would not achieve the need of love and belonging. Can you see how this theory could relate to the boys
in Lord of the Flies?
It seems that Jack and his followers want to delay the children from achieving the self-actualization need. They are
responsible for the deaths of two children who are in the process of achieving or have achieved the need of selfactualization.
Simon achieves self-actualization in his travels to the top of the mountain. All of Simon's basic needs have been met
because he has befriended Ralph's group of boys and has esteem in the way he treats the younger boys. Simon hikes to the
top of the mountain and engages in a 'discussion' with a pig's head, The Lord of the Flies, where he learns that the monster
is the evil hiding in the boys' minds, not a physical entity. He finds more proof when he reaches the top of the mountain
and finds that the 'beast' is actually a dead parachuter hanging from a tree. 'The beast was harmless and horrible; and the
news must reach the others as soon as possible.' When he returns to the camp, Jack and his followers murder Simon in a
ritualistic and frightening manner. Simon has achieved self-actualization, but is murdered before he can enlighten the
others.
Piggy's needs are met by his loyalty to Ralph. Ralph assists Piggy in providing shelter and food at his camp and provides
Piggy with a sense of safety. This allows Piggy to achieve love and belonging with Ralph. We can even argue that he
meets his esteem needs with Ralph and starts to feel like his voice is being heard (by his friend). When he begins to start
to achieve self-actualization, where he can focus on problem solving, Jack and his followers steal his glasses and murder
him. Piggy states: “I just take the conch to say this. I can't see no more and I got to get my glasses back. Awful things has
been done on this island. I voted for you for chief. He's the only one who ever got anything done. So now you speak,
Ralph…” Piggy and Ralph are the only children interested in the rescue of the boys. When Jack's group steals Piggy's
glasses, it seems that they are trying to ensure that the basic needs of the boys are not met so that they cannot selfactualize and leave the island. 2