An Exploration of the Ways Vernon’s ‘Learnings’ Inspire Change in the Character in the Novel Vernon God Little by Dbc Pierre.

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Throughout the novel Vernon God Little the main character, Vernon, forms ‘learnings’ which apply to himself, the people around him and the wider world. DBC Pierre applies them as a reoccurring symbol of evolution of the Vernon Little character as they are both the cause and result of change in the inner workings of Vernon’s persona. Vernon and his ‘learnings’ are in a sempiternal cycle of ‘cause and effect’. Through the ‘learnings’ the reader is shown how although there are events that have the potential to have a negative effect on Vernon occurring around him, he overcomes them and they become his source of maturing, progressing to be a humbler person and giving him a more objective view of the world. The first ‘learning’ of Vernon’s is introduced by DBC Pierre in Act one of the novel and is in the form of an anger fuelled response to Vernon’s mother embarrassing him in the barbers by mentioning Vernon’s bowel issue. This first learning of Vernon’s is an indirect attack at his mother and her ‘knife turning’ ways, this is made clear by Pierre by utilising Vernon’s learning to compare his mother to a spider “connecting shit into a humongous web” and through his use of profanities. Contrarily Vernon shows a poetic eloquence in the final line of his inner speech; “In the end it doesn’t matter what words you say you feel it on your blade” the simple change of language from knife to blade causes the learning to have an air of vehemence attached to it. Although it is wholly apparent that Vernon is attacking his mother there is a deeper sense of Vernon’s longing not to become like her made known by the way Pierre repeats the ‘knife-turning’ analogy throughout the novel mostly in Vernon’s anger and frustration which shows truly how deeply ingrained Vernon’s detest for it is. This moulds Vernon’s character into one who, in his immaturity, longs to become anything but like

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