Cannon 1 Reily Cannon Ms. Gardner English 10 Honors 2 11 March 2014 The Journey of a Gentle an !

s "eo"le gro# u" and &losso into adults$ they ha%e ature$ their %ie#s on society change. !s children ore e'"erience and thus change their "ers"ecti%es(

naturally. They de%elo" a &roader sense of the #orld( they de%elo" an a&ility to use their life e'"eriences to gras" ne# ideas on social class$ "olitics$ and future e'"ectations. Charles )ic*ens e'hi&its this co ing of age through +i",s inter"retation of social class in the &ildungsro an$ Great Expectations. +i" &egins the no%el as a young &oy #ith high e'"ectations for life and an interesting "ers"ecti%e on social class. Throughout the no%el$ he undergoes any ad%entures$ changing his "ers"ecti%e e%ery ste" of the #ay. )ic*ens irror +i",s transfor ation to

uses the e%olution of +i",s understanding of social class to aturity.

-n the e'"osition$ +i" understands social class as the door to success. !fter %isiting Miss Ha%isha for the first ti e$ he sees the .rich ore than to o#n aterials// satins$ and lace$ aterials such as these. He

and sil*s. 0)ic*ens 412 and #ants nothing is

es eri3ed &y the &eauty of .&right 4e#els that lay s"ar*ling on the ta&le. 0452 and deals #ith on a daily &asis.

does not e%en &egin to reali3e the tortures Miss Ha%isha 6ecause he is nai%e and i

ature$ he is inca"a&le of reali3ing the &urdens that co e #ith the house$ +i" can not sto" thin*ing a&out$ as y &oots #ere thic*...that - #as

a high social status. !s he #al*s a#ay fro he states to hi self$ .that

y hands #ere coarse7 that

Cannon 2 uch ore ignorant than - had considered yself last night. 0502. 6eing as i ature as

he is$ +i" gras"s on to this faulty inter"retation of ho# to &eco e successful. His youth is e'hi&ited &ecause he is not centered enough in his o#n &eliefs nor e'"erienced enough in the #orld to gras" the situation in its entirety. He falls into fir of a high social class you are .in a lo#/li%ed &ad #ay.0502. !fter s"ending ti e in 8ondon$ #ith a higher class$ +i",s "ers"ecti%e is &roadened. He e'"eriences a #ide range of "eo"le #hile staying at the +oc*ets, ho e. 9ith ne# "eo"le to social class &egins to eet$ ne# #ays to thin*$ and ne# doors to o"en$ his inter"retation of or"h. He eets a young an//Her&ert +oc*et// #ho has any &elief that unless you are

ideas of #hat he #ants to do later in life( none of #hich rely on a high social class. These .grand ideas of the #ealth and i "ortance of -nsurers of :hi"s in the City. 01422 enchant +i"$ e%en though they do not relate in any #ay to the highest social status. Ho#e%er$ he does not stray fro the initial i "ressions he too* fro o%ed fro %isiting Miss Ha%isha . his isinter"reted conce"tion of

!lthough unfortunate that he is not easily social class i "ortance$ here$ a greater

aturity is sho#n than &efore. He is no longer as

nai%e$ and learning of another;s different "ers"ecti%e does not s#ay his o#n. -n conclusion$ so e gro#th is sho#n at this stage7 ho#e%er #hen he states .there ca e u"on e that <this occu"ation= #ould ne%er &e %ery successful or rich.01412 #e are still

re inded of his youth &ecause he is still co "letely o&sessed #ith earning a high social class. 6y the denoue ent$ +i" has e'"erienced interaction #ith "eo"le in %arious social classes. He has et and dealt #ith "eo"le as unres"ecta&le as cri inals to highly any others in &et#een. He has gathered a &road sense of the

"restigious la#yers$ and

Cannon 1 #orld and centered his "ers"ecti%e. +i" reali3es social status does not define your ha""iness7 as he states$ . any a year #ent round$ &efore - #as a "artner in the House$ &ut - li%ed ha""ily. e%en though$ he #as .not in a grand #ay of &usiness. 01>>2. +i" disco%ers that a gentle an is not considered a gentle an &ecause of a high social status. !s he reflects on his 4ourney and co es to ter s #ith his "ast isconce"tions$ +i"

recalls$ .- #as one day enlightened &y the reflection$ that "erha"s the ina"titude had ne%er &een in hi <Her&ert +oc*et= at all$ &ut in e. 01>>2. ?ot only is +i",s aturity

e'hi&ited here &ecause of his reali3ation that a high social class is not all it see s$ &ut also he is a&le to ad it his "ast conce"tions #ere incorrect. E &ar*ing into his adulthood$ +i" lea%es as a true gentle an//content$ res"ected$ and *ind//regardless of social class. @ro *ind/hearted a young$ innocent &oy unsure of #hat to thin* of the #orld to a strong$ an confident in #hat he &elie%es in$ +i",s co ing of age is e'hi&ited ore and ore of

through his e%ol%ing inter"retations of social class. !s he e'"eriences the #orld$ +i",s understanding changes// 4ust as he &eco es ore

ature$

entally$

"hysically$ and socially. Through trial and triu "h$ +i" finally reaches a reali3ation of #hat is truly i "ortant in life. !s ti e "asses$ he strays further and further a#ay fro "ath#ay to a high social status$ yet he drifts closer and closer to &eco ing a res"ected gentle an. +i",s great e'"ectations &egin as a little &oy,s and e%ol%e into a young isinter"retation of the #orld the

an,s "ath#ay for a lifelong 4ourney.