William Golding's novel Lord Of The Flies is an attempt to trace the defects in .
society back to the defects in human nature. Human beings are capable of intense evil .
not because of any outside factors but because of their own nature.
The human specie, like any other creature, has primordial instincts which are essential .
to its survival. If these instincts aren't counter-balanced by a multitude of social .
conditions that is said to be one's conscience, one will inevitably be selfish and evil. .
This idea will be proven in discussion of Freudian theories of the human being, the .
role that society plays in refining human behaviour and the necessity of law, penalties .
and structure to prevent unacceptable comportment. .
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Sigmund Freud's theories of the Id, ego and superego offer a compelling look at .
the human psyche and they attempts to explain our most primitive impulses and desires. .
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According to Freud, one is born with one's Id. "The id is an important part of a human .
being's early personality because it allows one to get their basic needs met." (Stephen A. .
Mitchell, Freud and Beyond) He recognized that each person is born with various natural .
drives that he called instincts, such as the need to satisfy sexual desires and the need to .
be aggressive. The id is the source of such instincts. Freud believed that the id is based .
on mankind's pleasure principle. In other words, the id wants whatever feels good at the .
time, with no consideration for any other factors. .
The second part of Freud's theory comes as a child begins to interact more with .
the world. The ego is based on the reality principle. The ego understands that other .
people have needs and desires and that sometimes being impulsive or selfish can hurt .
us and others in life. "The main function of the ego is to satisfy the needs of the id, while .
taking into consideration certain realities of the world." (Stephen A. Mitchell, Freud and .
