CHAPTER VI
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The main objective of conducting the
study was to define man’s nature through the characters Ralph, Jack, Piggy and
Simon, in William Golding’s novel, Lord
of the Flies, focusing on the psychological context of the novel. In order
to define the nature of man, situations were taken from the novel and were used
for the analysis of the characters. The different behaviors of the characters
in each of the gathered situations (basic needs) were used in the
psychoanalysis of the nature of man.
The
summary of the finding are as follows:
1. The
nature of man, in perspective of psychology, can be seen in two personas
because of the different beliefs of different psychologists like Freud, Allport
and Rousseau. However, in the novel, man is seen as innately evil which
supports the Theory of Personality of Sigmund Freud. The author of the novel
did not disregard the concept that man is naturally good however, it was
implied that people with this quality is seldom seen in the society
2. Using
psychological perspectives, specifically Freud’s mental construct, the main
characters in the novel represents the id, ego and superego. Ralph represents
the ego while Jack characterizes the hedonistic desires of person which is the
id. Piggy represents the superego, which tells a person from right and wrong in
terms of the societal norms of a person. On the other hand Simon represents the
concept of man being in nature good.
3. The
decisions and actions of the characters in the novel Lord of the Flies are affected by two factors: the environmental
and the social factors. Environmental factors include the characters’ need for
nutritious food, fresh water, clean clothes and durable shelter that could
protect them from any harm. The social factors include the characters’ need to
fit into a group and be accepted, the need to be respected and recognized, and
the need to fulfill the roles they think fit for them. These environmental and
social factors are based on A.H. Maslow’s Theory of Motivation.
4. The
characters’ decisions and actions define the true nature of man by how these
decisions are affected by the dominant mental aspect of man (id, ego, and
superego). These actions and decisions are observed using Freudian’s Theory of Personality.
If the characters’ nature is id-dominated, that is, if he achieves his needs in
whatever ways he can notwithstanding its effects on others, his nature is bad.
If the characters’ nature is ego and super-ego dominated, that is, he obeys the
rules and regulations constructed by the society, his nature is good.
CONCLUSION
Man,
as depicted in the novel Lord of the
Flies by William Golding, is innately evil. That without society and rules,
man goes back to his primordial self, prioritizing only what he desires and not
caring for the effects his action may cause to other people. Though the nature
of man, in the perspective of psychology, can be described as good and bad, the
novel asserted that man is indeed wicked. This wickedness was clearly manifested
by the character of Jack in the novel.
The characters
in the novel depicted different dominant mental construct (id, ego and superego)
that affects their decisions and actions. Jack represents the id dominant people
who seek satisfaction of their hedonistic desires through methods that might
harm other people. In contrast with that, Piggy characterizes the superego dominant
people who want every decision and action to be morally correct. On the other
hand, Ralph symbolizes the ego dominant people who try to balance the desires
of their id and the constraints of their superego. Simon, at one hand, represents
the naturally good people.
The dominant
aspect of nature (id, ego or superego) of the characters in the novel affects
their decisions and actions. If the character is predominantly id in nature,
decisions and actions of the character would be all about satisfying one’s
desire without thinking of the consequences of his actions. Ego dominated
characters takes in consideration of the effects it might cause to others while
those characters dominated by superego will always act according to what is
morally right for them.
Using the Theory of Personality by Sigmund
Freud as a support, the researchers found out that without societal norms, man
has the greater tendency to return back to his original nature. The author of
the novel, however, did not neglect the concept that man is naturally good. In
the novel, it was implied that people with this quality is seldom seen in the
society.
The true nature of man has always
been the subject of critical debate. This topic is so broad, so to speak, and
no man has yet presented the accurate answer to the main question. As of now,
all we’ve got are the theories made by some brilliant psychologists and the
results of the previous researches conducted by the curious people.
We,
the researchers, wanted to know the true nature of man behind the social norms.
We are trying to study the nature of man by making a character analysis of the
characters in the novel Lord of the Flies
by William Golding.
We
recommend the use of more possible psychological theories that will help in
defining the nature of man in a much more detailed research. Furthermore, we
recommend the future researches of this topic to look for additional research
papers and other related studies that will help not only the readers of the
research but also the researchers themselves. Articles of the view of the
author and papers relating to the book are highly recommended.
Lastly,
we recommend the in depth reading of the book many times in order to understand
more the allegories and symbolisms used by the author in the novel.
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