Critical readings of LOTF

Freudian analysis

Some people interpret Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies through the theories of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who taught that the human mind was the site of a constant battle among different impulses—the id (instinctual needs and desires), the ego (the conscious, rational mind), and the superego (the sense of conscience and morality).

Of particular interest is the Freudian Deindividutation theory which aims to explains individual behavior when in a crowd. The idea is that the individual's sense of self is diminished and replaced by a social identity, and generic social norms are replaced by the norms of the crowd (some of which may also happen to coincide with the generic social norms). The psychological state of deindividuation is marked by reductions in the individual's self-restraint and inhibitions. The absence of normal social controls is what leads to the breakdown of law and order in the boy's society.

http://www.blueturnip.com/projects/edu/english/lotf/psych1.html

Christian analysis

Some critics argue that the novel explores fundamental religious issues, such as original sin and the nature of good and evil.