Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

civilization, his tendencies to guide Ralph in Ralph’s leadership of the island, and the obvious hostility
between Piggy and Jack (who will be shown to represent the id), Piggy is a wonderful archetype of the
superego.
Rosenfield (1999) writes, “If Ralph is a projection of man’s good impulses . . . then Jack becomes
an externalization of the evil instinctual forces of the unconscious” (p. 4). These instinctual forces refer not
only to Jack, but also to the id. According to Freud (1952), the id is based largely on instincts, resists the
guiding forces of the ego, and is not influenced by the external world. Jack also relies on his instincts and
emotions, resists Ralph (who has already been proven to represent the ego) in his leadership on the island,
and is unencumbered by influence of the external world.
The most prevalent characteristic of the id is its reliance on instinct. In fact, Freud (1952) notes
that “perceptions may be said to have the same significance for the ego as instincts have for the id” (p. 14).
The emergence of instinct in Jack first occurs when Jack succumbs to his animal instinct to hunt instead of
looking after the signal fire as Ralph had ordered. Because the signal fire is not lit, a potential rescue
opportunity is lost when a ship passes the island in the middle of Jack’s hunt. Jack’s actions show that
instinct has more priority than logic and common sense in his mind. As Jack progresses through the novel,
Golding (2003) describes him as “dog-like” (p. 61) and “ape-like” (p. 62). He is said to be “Driven by fear,
superstition and an obsession with hunting” (Drew, 1963, p. 10). These animal descriptions coupled with
base human emotions show that Jack is, indeed, a creature of instinct. A physical symbol of this instinct
comes in the form of a tribal mask Jack dons when he is ready to hunt. After the first application of this
mask, Jack “began to dance around and his laughter became bloodthirsty snarling . . . the mask was a thing
on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (Golding, 2003, p. 83).
Clearly, emotions, passion, and instinct come together in the psyche of Jack, creating a character that
exhibits traits not unlike those of the id.
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