Single Parenthood and Social Inclusion in Nick Hornby’s About a Boy: A Study through the Lens of Attachment Theory

Abstract

Parenting and a child’s early attachment style with their parents play a key role in shaping their self-image, identity, thinking process, attitude, and way of handling their relationships and life. Much like the roots of a tree, it serves as the foundation that ultimately shapes their mindset and life. This paper explains how a child’s attachment to their parents plays a crucial role in their life. It psychoanalyses the protagonist Marcus, in the novel ‘About a Boy’ by Nick Hornby, by employing the Theory of Attachment by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. It articulates Marcus’s drastic change from exhibiting the signs of anxious attachment when he was raised by his depressed single mother, Fiona, resulting his social exclusion, to a more mature and confident one when he forms a secure bond with Will, which ultimately enabled greater social inclusion and emotional growth.