Interpretation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory Reflected in Great Expectat

Introduction

Abraham maslow proposed a paper "A Theory of Human Motivation". According to it， there are some basic needs which can be classified into physiological， safety， love， esteem， and self-actualization. In great expectations， Dickens disclosed the Victorian England impressively by portraying the disenchantment grows along with Pip.

I. The first stage

As an orphan， Pip lack of parental love， but his physiological needs can be achieved. One day， he happened to come across an escaped convict. The convict ordered Pip to bring food and a file which made Pip stuck into a dreadful plight. Having been in want of parents love， Pip’s safety needs are dramatically arose. Pip dreamed to improve his humble identity and condition. Pip fell in love with Estella the first sight of her. Along with that， his need for respect and esteem is evoked. He ashamed for he was born and rose up in poverty-stricken family.

Gradually， Pip was unsatisfied with his position and wanted to be a gentleman to deserve Estella’s love. He was yearning for a higher need which can be defined as esteem need. Then， he was apprenticed to Joe to be a blacksmith. He tried to study and read books to improve his condition. All these account for his swelling internal needs.

II. The second stage

Pip felt ashamed of home， after all， news came that a secret benefactor has left him amount of fortunes， which is a turning point of Pip’s life. Pip assumed that Miss Hayisham sponsored him. Sequentially， Pip left for London to get education. Not long before Pip made acquaintance with Herbert Pocket. The friendship satisfied Pip to some extent.

Pip desires social class improvement and he even embarrassed for Joe’s visit. It is little wonder that Pip could behave so pretentiously towards Joe when we dig out the driven factors， namely， esteem need and self-actualization need.

In addition， Pip raised the siege of Herbert by assisting and donating Herbert secretly. In this stage， Pip chased his need of self-actualization. He longed for the full realization of his life values by helping others.

III. The last stage

Time went by， the real benefactor finally showed up， that is the convict Magwitch who scared Pip into stealing food at the beginning of the novel， which shocked Pip greatly. The truth came out. Magwitch struggled to make a live and make a fortune at last. Pip’s esteem need and self-actualization need grow increasingly. Maslow said this process refers to the need for personal growth and discovery. Pip slowly realizes the vanity of his false values. Not only did Pip in want of esteem need， but also he put more emphasis on the self-actualization.

IV. Conclusion

As a bildungsroman， this novel displays Pip’s self-discovery. By investigating Pip from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory， hopefully， this paper may provide an alternative way to appreciate Great Expectations and can contribute a little to analyze Pip.