The Child-Parent Relationship in Anna Quinn's The Night Child: An Eriksonian Approach

Abstract

This article utilizes Eric Erikson’s psychosocial theory, specifically his eight stages of mental and emotional development, to tackle the parent-child relationship in Anna Quinn's The Night Child (2018). Accordingly, this article explores Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development and the various crises that Nora, the protagonist in the novel, endures. During each stage, the character either has a positive outcome that will lead to a healthy personality or a negative outcome that will make the character acquire unhealthy personality traits. Nora must go through each stage before moving on to the next stages whether she has a positive or negative outcome. The life-span developmental issues are the most significant problems in the character’s life because these issues will determine how she will live her life, and how successful her relationship with others will be. Through such an analysis of Nora’s psychosocial development and interpersonal interactions, it becomes evident that her relationship with her parents is the most consequential one in her life.