The Simple Gift Character Analysis

In the free-verse novel, The Simple Gift, author, Steven Herrick, subverts normative conventions of gender and class to present the possibilities of economic and social freedom to his young adult audience. This subversion can be seen throughout the conscious characterisation of three distinct characters: Billy, Old Bill and Caitlin- each of whom has different social and financial positions, yet deliberately challenge the expectations of their gender and class to construct complex, even contradictory, identities. Throughout this essay, I will examine how the deliberate decisions made by each character reveals the extent to they wish to challenge gender and class-based norms, as their identities are consciously informed by their previous social