The first chapters of the novel represent Erikson’s third stage of psychosocial development, Initiative vs. guilt. In this stage children take on new tasks and play, and feel guilty when their activities result in failure or criticism, the child learns what he/she can control and develops a sense of free will or a corresponding sense of regret and sorrow for inappropriate use of self-control. The book begins with

The third stage of Erikson’s is identity vs. role confusion. In this stage adolescent’s need to combine their self-understanding with social roles into a coherent identity. Pip isn’t euipped to resolve this crisis positively because his self understanding is skewed due to the abuse he has been subjected to. However, his grasp of social roles is very clear. He sees a gentleman as better than a common laborer. Estella has come to be Pip’s definition for what he wants. He thinks Miss Havisham has groomed Estella for him, and that if he were a gentleman he could have Estella. Although we know how unrealistic this is, Estella has become his motivation for everything. He wants to become a gentleman, not for himself, but so that he can have Estella. Even his reasons for teaching Joe are motivated by Estella. He doesn’t want Joe to be an embarrassment to him, because Joe represents everything he doesn’t want to be. His role-confusion is even more exasperated when he gets his “expectations,” thinking they are from Miss Havisham, when they are really from Magwitch. This stage is represented in the story from the time he gets his expectations, until he becomes ill and Joe nurses him back to

Some topics in this essay:
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