Psychological Development of Children in the Absence of Father as Reflected in Nesbit's The Railway Children = Psychological Development of Children in the Absence of Father as Reflected in Nesbit's The Railway Children

This study aims to analyse the psychological development of the three main characters affected by the absence of their father, as depicted in Edith Nesbit's The Railway Children. Overall, this study offers an analysis of the changes in children's psychological condition due to the sudden departure of their father. This thesis provides an overview of the condition of children who still need attention and affection from a father but have to go through the day without him as a parent, breadwinner and head of the family. The author used qualitative methods and Freudian psychoanalytic theory. This study focuses on identifying the representation of Id, Ego and Superego in the three main characters in their psychological development. The findings of this study reveal that the development of the psychological structure of the three main characters is built due to the desire to fill the void of the father's role in the house both as the head of the family and as a parent. Then, the social demands where they move from the city to the countryside with different manners makthem have to adapt to the social and moral values of the residents. It causes their Id and Ego to come up with many new attitudes and create a new view of the three main characters, making it very difficult for the Superego to limit their attitudes. To overcome the turmoil of the changes they are experiencing, the three main characters slowly learn and try to take lessons from each of their actions until the opinion of Mother, who is the only person they can hear well.

Keyword : Freudian Theory, Father Absence, Family, Railway Children