Identity Crisis And Construction Of Pip In Great Expectations

The British novelist Charles Dickens was a productive writer in Victorian society.Great Expectations was considered the most unified and concentrated expression of Dickens philosophy. The story focuses on the improvement of Pip's identity, and the growth of Pip also miniaturized the developing process of the middle class. In light of theory of ego identity and epigenetic principle of American psychologist Erik Homburger Erikson, the study makes a reading of Pip in his identity crisis and identity construction.This thesis is composed of five chapters. The first chapter deals with introduction of the writer and Great Expectations, identity theories of Erik Erikson, viewpoint of the research and structure of the thesis. The second chapter mainly introduces identity of Young Pip. Pip belongs to a member of the Victorian middle class, of which the shared ideology will be presented; and the personal identity of young Pip, which formed through his identification to his family and social environment. Chapter three is concerned with the identity crisis of Pip in three separate stages. According to the epigenetic principle by Erikson, identity crisis that Pip faced with were industry versus inferiority, identity versus identity confusion, and intimacy versus isolation. Chapter four mainly focuses on the identity construction of Pip through constructing sense of belonging, a positive outlook on life and sense of security, especially on love. Chapter Five is the conclusion of the thesis.Through the analyses, the growth of Pip, to some degree, is a journey to seek for personal identity and a process to fulfill self-worth.