Great Expectations

After our class last week, I am pretty sure I will be writing my final paper on Great Expectations -- and more specifically, on issues of youth & guilt. We talked a little bit about why young Pip feels so guilty and the idea of him being "naterally wicious." When considering the topic, I can't help but think of Neil Postman's The Disappearance of Childhood. He discusses the idea that childhood, in its very definition, cannot exist without shame. Postman defines childhood by its lack of secret adult knowledge. This inevitably ties in sexuality, which is a large part of these adult secrets. This ties back the possibility that Pip's feelings of guilt are driven by his sexual desires.