Preview

Similarities Between Huckleberry Finn And Catcher In The Rye

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1160 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Similarities Between Huckleberry Finn And Catcher In The Rye
Huckleberry Finn and Holden Self-discovery is the idea of understanding or knowledge of oneself. Discovering individuality is something that most people face at some point in their lives and the outcome can varies. Self-discovery usually occurs during adolescence. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye are both examples of coming of age novels. The main characters, Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield, both experience the journey of self-discovery. These experiences lead to their awareness of identity. Huck is trying to find a purpose, and an identity through conflicting of morals, while Holden is an adolescent struggling to find maturity going into manhood.
Although Huck and Holden come from different time periods and backgrounds, they are both excluded from society and are united in their struggle against understanding social values. Holden, a seventeen year old surrounded by topics such as sex, alcohol, and growing up in the urban culture of the 1940s. However, Holden’s identity is different from those around him because he chooses not to accept the views and ideas that surround him and instead, lives on his own opinions of what is important. This is proven by his failure to stay in school, his conflicts with adult authority provides an example for his isolation from society. Whereas Huckleberry Finn
…show more content…
The fact that both characters are often adventurous does not hide the fact that they both suffer from isolation. Holden’s isolation is more severe because he is fighting a losing battle to keep his innocence while under pressure from the rest of the world. Eventually he learns that he must deal with the isolation, usually caused by himself , leads him into a state of depression. Huck shares these strong feelings of isolation, since many various things made him feel very lonesome. However, unlike Holden who felt completely alone, Huck is open to the companionship of Tom Sawyer and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Satire in Huck Finn

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages

    During the mid-1800’s there was many “imperfections” in the world, and Samuel Clemens better known as Mark Twain decided to write a book to ridicule some problems concerning religion, greed, civilization, romantic literature, and Melodramatic art. Huckleberry Finn goes on a very complex and intense journey which helps him build a perspective on life as opposed to the ones dictated by those older than him. Throughout Huck encounters situations with problems that mimic actual problems in Twain’s world. Twain makes them look extremely pointless and senseless.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Up until 1865, slavery and all of its violence and cruelty was accepted across the United states. The self-acclaimed "Land of the Free" was not a free land for slaves like Fredrick Douglass, or even Jim, a fictional character in the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Slavery depicted in the previously mentioned novel is very much cushioned when compared to the reality of slavery depicted in the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. However, Mark Twain, author of the former manages to capture some realities within his satirical version of life before the American Civil War. Both novels portray the classic version of slavery, where Africans are inferior to the English, but Twain's…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huckleberry Finn is a novel set in the rural south of the United States during a period in history when slavery and racism were part of everyday life. The novel introduces two main characters: Huck Finn, an adventurous but naïve, white boy, and Jim, a runaway slave whom is travelling with Huck down the Mississippi River. Throughout the course of the novel, both characters are faced with their individual internal struggles; Huck in particular is faced with the pressing notion of whether or not he should turn Jim in to his rightful owner and do the “right” thing, or disobey the law and help Jim obtain his freedom. Being nothing more than a foolish and naïve boy, Huck does not know the meaning of true love and friendship, until Jim opens up to him and they begin to bond no longer as white boy and black slave, but as humans.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the timeline of the 1800’s, children often developed a prejudicial stance due to the distorted views of their parents, teachers, and friends. However, Huckleberry’s disbelief of the social norm allowed him to listen to his heart, and not let the people around him shape the thoughts and opinions in his head. The unbiased outlooks in which the protagonist forms in the novel contrast from those around him, and to view the theme of slavery through Huckleberry’s eyes, instead of the indoctrinated society’s perspective. Huckleberry is shown to truly value his friend Jim, and is able to see him as a true companion, rather than a…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huckleberry Finn is always ready to go on any type of adventure with his best friend Tom Sawyer. Also, the pair are extremely superstitious. Huck is discriminated against for a myriad of reasons. Some being, he is the son of the town drunk, so the adults frown upon him. Because of his father’s lifestyle he is basically an orphan, he has to find his own food, clothes, and a place to sleep. He also does not attend church or school. Opposite to that, the boys of the town envy him for his freedom and lack of discipline. The Widow Douglass who…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 21st Century is an era well known for teenagers whose parents beg them to get off their phones and people who worry about the Kardashians more than they should. The question arises as to how can a novel from the 1940’s, like “Catcher in the Rye”, still be relevant to today’s society? For instance, this book takes place during an era where people did not rely on their phones and did not even know who the Kardashians were, but believe it or not, “Catcher in the Rye” in many ways is still relevant and worth reading. There are many differences between the novel’s society and today's society, but despite the differences, there are an incredible amount of similarities between Holden and 21st century teenagers.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Set in a pre-civil war time period, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is overall controversial and symbolic of a greater moral that is heavily present in this society. During this time was a large separation of North and South over the ethics of slavery and the morals of the enslaved population. During this story the protagonist, Huck Finn, makes a very important ethical decision upon whether he should or should not turn in Jim, a runaway slave. Huck has a moment of moral liberation and searches the social and religious principles of society. By having to think about these things when making a decision such as this, it can be said that this society is backwards. Mark Twain suggests that society is morally wrong with what they believe is right, their opinion of civilized and has a faulty logic.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, is a pivotal character in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is characterized as an innocent, apathetic, naive teen who is seeking knowledge of life and the meaning of becoming an adult. Holden’s struggle with seeing the genuine nature of people is something that acts as a barrier for him throughout the novel. Holden is troubled and burdened throughout the story, which causes him to have a warped view on an array of subjects. Holden passes strict judgement on everyone, as he struggles to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Holden appears to be stunned when he sees how different the life of an adult is comparison to that of children. His views on topics such as, life, his future, and sex. Holden approaches each of these subjects with strict views, and feels dejected when he realizes there are more multiple perspectives to these topics.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Trying to find who you are and growing up to a young adult is a hard time for many people. Adolescence is a time between when you’re a kid and your transition into a young adult. Sylvia Plath from The Bell Jar and Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In the Rye are just two examples that can be relatable to not only each other, but to many us as well. The main protagonists from both The Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar compare to each other in ways some people might not see. They both feel like they are lost from everyone in society and most discernibly towards themselves, they go through appalling failures and hardships, and they also both face some sort of depression.…

    • 127 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an important novel that shows how the two worlds of Huck and Jim collide to bring out the problems of racism and slavery before the civil war. Huck was a young, naive boy who is oblivious to the outside world. Jim was a slave with a big heart who looked at the world in a whole different perspective. Throughout the journey together Huck and Jim’s relationship was shaken by the cold reality of racism and slavery, thus slowly opening Huck's eyes to the world around him and creating a new foundation for friendship. When Jim and Huck go on their journey outside of St.Petersburg, Missouri a whole new world was opened up to them, they saw the country like never before.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and the movie Into the Wild are very similar in the way that both main characters, Holden and Chris are undergoing a coming of age. Holden is a boy who lives in New York and went to Pencey Prep before getting kicked out for falling most of his classes. Chris is a college graduate who abandoned both his mother and sister who have to suffer with living with their abusive father. However, both of these characters are afraid of being apart of the social norm because they try to expunge their problems, expecting that to resolve it. These two characters have made some controversial decisions in their lives that they probably shouldn’t have. ”The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one,” this quote is crucial because it covers the lifestyles that the two main characters chose to live. This intriguing quote applies to these…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since the beginning of humanity, people established certain beliefs in their societies. In Renaissance Europe, individuals viewed black skin color as evil and white as pure. For many years, males considered themselves superior to females. Although most of the people shared these beliefs, some resented the established ideas. Authors showed resentment through literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(“Huck Finn”) by Mark Twain, Othello by William Shakespeare, and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn challenge the status quo of developed civilizations. The play and the two novels challenge the accepted beliefs on race, gender, and social class.…

    • 1999 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    J. D. Salinger’s novel ‘Catcher in the Rye’ portrays to the reader a protagonist named Holden Caulfield who desires independence and feels that the world is an inhospitable place, that he holds contempt for, Holden like many teenagers seeks a sense of identity but does not look for it through his connections with others. The book highlights this and his issue of identity is explored through Holden, himself, who can be correlated to other people living in forced isolation and alienation. Holden…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The person I am going to compare from Huck Finn is my dad and Huck’s dad. First off Huck’s dad doesn't want Huck to be well educated because he himself is not educated. Also Huck’s dad does not want him to become civilized or sophisticated. Because he does not want him to be any better than he is. Also he beats him left and right. He is hardly ever at home always out and about doing whatever.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To defy a family, practice, or even a life style is an arduous challenge considering one’s willingness to give up their cultured protection from society and take responsibility as an individual. The strength in a person who believes that success comes from surviving the struggle of fighting the consequences that society imposes on defiance is prodigious. Not enough recognition is granted to those who risk their dignity exclusively for the freedom of personal choice and ability to live their life in the way in which they decide. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, characters Hester and Huckleberry Finn choose to defy their culture and upbringing in order for the betterment of their lives…

    • 1940 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays