The Intimacy Crisis of Henry Markowitz

The Intimacy Crisis of Henry Markowitz

In Allegra Goodman’s novel The Family Markowitz, Henry overcomes his identity crisis through the influence of his experience in Venice and his fiancée, Susan, and develops his own identity. Erik Erikson’s theory of identity defined in his book, Identity: Youth and Crisis explains Henry’s crisis at the beginning and his development of identity. Erikson argues in his book that the formation of identity is the result of accumulation of different personalities gained from each stage of life. Henry’s transformation from a lost adolescent to a mature adult justifies Erikson’s assumption about the formation of identity at the stage of school age and of adolescence. Henry can serve as the example that supports Erik Erikson’s theory, that with a sense of industry can Henry form his identity thus overcomes his intimacy crisis and develop intimacy with Susan. However, Henry also contradicts Erikson’s assumption about intimacy crisis that he builds a spiritual connection with Susan before a sexual one, not as Erikson would expect.

In Identity: Youth, and Crisis, Erikson discusses the identity crisis one may have during each stage of life. He states that identity crisis, considered by most people as “impending catastrophe”, is in fact a “necessary turning point, a crucial moment” “marshaling resources of growth recovery, and further differentiation” (Erikson 14). By using such diction, Erikson tries to highlight the importance of identity crisis to differentiation, and to formation of identity. Such crisis may stimulate one’s identity formation. Identity crisis was firstly used as the description of veterans. Later on, identity crisis was found to be “a normative crisis ‘belonging’ to a particular stage of individual development” (Erikson 14), ascribing to the age of adolescence and young adulthood. In the following chapters, Erikson lists stages of development and the crisis may be experienced during each stage.

In Erikson’s...