An analysis of the way Dickens and Angelou present the coming of age an search for identity of Pip and Maya in "Great Expectations" and "I Know why the Caged Bird Sings"

Both these books are autobiographical and are based around the things encountered by the main characters on their journey from childhood to maturity. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is non-fiction, and is based on the life of the author, Maya Angelou. It follows her story starts in the 1930`s and follows Maya from the age of three, until she is sixteen. "Great Expectations" is a fictional autobiography, with Pip, the main character followed …

…having sex was linked to the fact she was now pregnant shows that although she has come a long way from the assumptions of her youth in some aspects, she seems unwilling to truly learn about all aspects of human nature, possibly as a throw back from her rape by Mr. Freeman. This is, I feel a consciously employed loose end designed to leave the reader wanting to read the next novel in the series.