Xin Zhao

British writer Edward Morgan Foster’s Howards End is known as a classic of twentieth century literature, telling the relationship and entanglement between three different social classes and families during the Edwardian period in England. The personality conflicts encountered by Henry and Helen, the main characters of the novel, in the pursuit of wealth and spiritual satisfaction are important motivations for the development of the story. This paper analyzes the personality conflicts of two main characters between the “id” driven by the principle of happiness and the “ego” under moral constraints from the perspective of Freud’s theory of personality structure, and discusses how the characters develop their “superego” in conflicts. The analysis of the personality development of the two main characters can help readers to better understand Foster’s thinking and opinion of personality self-improvement in the changing social environment, and at the same time enlighten people how to construct their own personality structure in the rapidly changing modern society.

Howards End; Id; Ego; Superego; Personality Conflicts

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