Search for self in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye
Everyone wants to know who they are, and why they were put here. People often wonder about their futures and what kind of person they really are. In the novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye, both of the protagonists, despite the different settings, the other characters, their restrictions and the different people that they are, are searching for the same thing - themselves.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless tale of a young boy who escapes his society that keeps trying to “sivilise” him and retreats down the Mississippi river with a runaway slave. On his journey he meets many different kinds of people on the banks of the river, some bad and some good, they all help Huck on his journey to self discovery. Catcher in the Rye is a story of a young boy named Holden who leaves his prep school in New York and ventures alone into the city. On his journey he meets a number of people. Holden is quite cynical and he denigrates nearly everyone he meets.
Set in pre-civil war America, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place along the Mississippi river. As Huckleberry travels along it he learns lessons about life, society and most importantly; himself. Surrounded by a world of prejudice and racism, Huck is forced to learn to make decisions on his own. He is able to learn from the imperfections in the rest of the world as he views them. While on the river, Huck and Jim are at peace. The river symbolizes freedom for both Jim and Huck. The river is Jim’s path to freedom from slavery, and it is Huck’s freedom from society. When Jim and Huck journey onto the banks of the river they see the inhumanity to man that goes on in the world. This juxtaposition of the river and the land help emphasize the peacefulness of the river in comparison to the crazy society on land. Huck learns to think for himself, and tries not to conform to the ways of the people on the land. Although the world that he lives in teaches him to be a racist, his journey down the river teaches him to use his own mind, and find out what he really believes in.
New York city is the setting for this more contemporary novel, yet it has many similarities to the older, more timeless Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Throughout Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learns a variety of life lessons and improves as a person. Huck goes through a maturing process much different than most, he betters a conscience and begins to feel for humanity versus society. His trip down the river can be seen as a passage into manhood, where his character changes as he can relate with the river and nature.
Mark Twain throughout the book showed Huckleberry Finns personal growth on how he started from the bottom as a lonely, racist, immature kid who knew nothing to where he is now, by finally breaking away from society’s values he was taught in the beginning. He has alienated himself from the from that society and revealed how in fact these values were hypocritical. He realized that he can choose his own morals and that the one he chooses is the correct one.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the most famous books in American literature. Written by J. D. Salinger, it captures the epitome of adolescence through Salinger’s infamous anti-hero, Holden Caulfield. Holden Caulfield learns about himself and his negative tendencies, and realizes that if he does not do something to change his perspective, he may end up like his acquaintance James Castle whom he met at Elkton Hills. Holden tries to find help to mend his outlook on life through Mr. Antolini so he does not end up like James, who did not want to face the problems he created for himself. This is proven by the similarities between James Castle and Holden, Mr. Antolini’s willingness to try and help Holden, and Holden’s future being forecasted by James.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is the narrator. The character of Huck Finn was very different than the society that he was born into. Mr. Twain uses Huck’s open mindedness as a window to let humor and the book’s points and morals shine through. Huck always takes things very literally. This not only adds to the humor of the book, but it also lets some of the books deeper messages come through. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, traces the story of a young man, Huck Finn, from conformity to the Southern way of thinking, to his own ideas about religion, wealth and slavery.
The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J.D. Salinger that is told from the point of view of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a young man struggling with growing up and facing the adult world. As a misunderstood teenager, Holden learns to deal with the deception of the adult world and the consequences of his choices.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger supersedes the norm by staying painfully in the deepest part of the average, for it contains topics that people can relate to (such as, cynicism, nostalgia, and bitterness of life). One of the grand topics the novel discusses is an individuals identity, and how Holden Caulfields identity is shaped through the adversity he faces. Quentin Crisp once said “The young always have the same problem -- how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another.” Holdens desire to be an individual (a rebel without a cause), hatred of phoniness, and guilt over Allies death creates a substantial conflict.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a classic novel about a young boy who struggles to save and free himself from captivity, responsibility, and social injustice. Along his river to freedom, he aids and befriends a runaway slave named Jim. The two travel down the Mississippi, hoping to reach Cairo successfully. However, along the way they run into many obstacles that interrupt their journey. By solving these difficult tasks, they learn life lessons important to survival.
Huck Finn, the protagonist of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which is written by Mark Twain, comes from a poor family and has the lowest status in the white society. He is about 13 years old. He wants his freedom back and starts his journey with a black slave named Jim. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye which is written by J. D. Salinger, is expulsed by a school called Pencey Prep. He comes from a rich family and is about 17 years old. He wants to escape from this phony society and escapes to New York City by himself. Despite the background differences of Huck and Holden, there are still numerous similarities and differences between them.
In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn faced abuse and neglect from his father, who was always drunk, and decided to go traveling on his own and not return to his hometown with Tom Sawyer because of this. To begin, Huck does not like wearing normal clothes. When he is living with the widow he complains of wearing clothes that were tight and uncomfortable, and expresses to the reader that he would prefer his plain rags. This is influenced by the environment Huck was in when he lived with his father. Since they were very poor, Huck could never wear normal clothes, and always had to wear clothes such as rags instead. Had Huck not had a past like that, he would have no problem wearing normal clothes. Furthermore,
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a very popular novel. In fact this book is required reading in almost every high school in America. There are many themes that take place in this novel such as the battle between good and evil as Huck tries to decide what decisions he should make while on the Mississippi River with Jim. There is also a great amount of contrast in regards to slavery and racism. Among all the themes in the novel I believe the one that best represents the story is childhood. Huck's childish thoughts and actions conclude with Huck making adult decisions in tough situations while encountering river adventures.
Rivers flow freely, and smoothly, and people usually go to the river to escape from society and civilization. They feel free with the nature surrounding them, which allows them to rest, and relax in peace. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain uses symbolic importance of the Mississippi River. Throughout the story, the Mississippi River plays an important symbolic figure, and significance to the story's plot. For Huck and Jim, the river is a place for freedom and adventure. Mark Twain uses the Mississippi River to symbolize freedom, adventure, and comfort.
In the beginning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is a very naïve boy. He has no exposure to anything outside of the safety of his home and school. Throughout the course of the book, Huck goes on an adventure south to try to find freedom for his guardian’s slave, Jim. On this adventure, Huck is exposed to life on his own, but more importantly, to life with a runaway slave.
...by Mark Twain. The Mississippi River symbolizes freedom for Huck and Jim, as well as being their place of comfort. Nature is also a big part of Huck’s life because he is most comfortable living outside of civilization, in nature. Comparing Huckleberry and Tom, as well as showing how Huck has become affected by civilization, is important in supporting the human nature side of the human nature versus civilization conflict. In this novel, human nature has become more important than civilization because nature has taught Huck far more than living in society ever would. There are many themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Although many of them are important in the book, the theme of nature and its significance is the most important in developing the plot, as well as showing the growth of the characters, namely the protagonist Huckleberry Finn.
Salinger significantly represent the struggle of nonconformity. Although these novels were written in very different times, the narrators, Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield, resemble one another in that they make efforts to preserve their individuality. The former finds himself helping Jim, a runaway slave, escape to freedom, despite his southern upbringing in the pre-Civil War time period. Throughout his journey along the Mississippi River, Huck struggles with inner turmoil brought on by his rebellious nature. Equivalently, Holden experiences various inner conflicts accompanying his bold actions as he stays in New York City on his own, afraid to return home after his private school, Pencey Prep, expels him. Therefore, Twain’s narrator relates to Salinger’s narrator in that rebellion has induced conflicts and adventures for each of them. Principally, both Huck and Holden prove to be nonconformists due to their resistance of common ideas. Furthermore, these protagonists eventually find peace through nature. Thus, Huck’s and Holden’s similar transcendental philosophies advocate the necessity for individuality and the ability to find one’s self in nature, two needs that still exist in today’s
The Development of Identity in Huckleberry Finn. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry, by Mark Twain, the main character enters into a transitional period of his life. This character, Huck Finn, faces many situations in which he is forced to deal with decisions that foster within them the ability to bring about change. Since transition is the process of entering change, Huck is searching for an identity that is truly his own.