Journeys__Huckleberry_Finn

What is the Nature of the Physical Journey While the reasons for undertaking physical journeys are varied, journeys by nature are embarked upon with the desire to be changed for the better as the traveller is confronted with different obstacles and challenges. Mark Twain’s novel the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the and the movie Stand by Me explores the nature and prominent aspects of Huck’s physical journey, danger challenges and decision making. Through the use of the orphaned protagonist Huckleberry Finn Twain illustrates how his physical journeys can also embody spiritual and emotional development. While the physical journeys, by nature throw up many dangerous situations and challenges, it is the emotional challenges that allow the traveller Huck to mature and develop a stronger sense of identity and morale. The journey is used as a symbol of transformation for the narrator Huck as he learns to see Jim as not just a possession but an equal human. It is through the characters the King and Duke and the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons whom they encounter on their flight to freedom which provides Huck and us the audience with insight into flawed humanity allowing the novelist Mark Twain to critic American society, their racist views, their greed and their ignorance. Twain uses satire in the Grangerford episode to reveal and mock society flaws. Huck is naive and amazed by the prosperity of the Granger fords and their “genteel” lifestyle but the audience can recognise their life as a brutal battle. The feud between two rich ‘civilized’ families satirise the hypocrisy of American society where rich families would attend church and then fight to death over a feud for reasons ‘noone could remember’. Huck so was disgusted by their brutality “It made me so sick I most fell out of the tree”. The characters King and Duke are satiric of society and after Huck witnessing some of King and Duke’s shams Huck remarks “It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race. Through Huck’s innocent eyes and Twain’s writing we can recognise the compassion of Jim in contrast with the two con-men King and Duke and the two feuding families. While Huck’s goal throughout the book is to protect Jim’s freedom most of the character Huck encounters only seek to exploit helpless individuals for self gain. The pair’s physical journey down the river obviously brings about physical challenges which they must confront in order to survive. Events such as when their canoe and raft were separated during a foggy night on river tested them physically forcing them to paddle and shout across the lake hoping to find each other. The two were tested to their physical boundaries in this episode and were so exhausted they fell asleep and by chance drifted back to each other. Apart from the physical growth in this scene, the scene illustrates how close the pair had become, the use of figurative language in “smoky ghost of big trees” highlights how scared Huck was without Jim, he felt helpless. Twain uses this scene to convey Huck’s growing respect with Jim despite the colour of his skin as shown in the quote “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way”. This expresses how sorry his was for tricking Jim and finally showing him some respect. Finally Rob Reiner demonstrates the nature and prominent aspects of physical journeys in his movie Stand by Me. Through a young insecure protagonist named Gordie the film displays how physical journeys by nature involve new experiences which can change a person’s way of thinking. Overshadowed by his brother most of his life, Gordie has little self-confidence in himself or his talent in writing. Before the journey Gordie was planning to give up on writing shouting “I don’t wanna be a writer, it’s stupid. It’s a stupid waste of time”, but by the end of the journey Gordie’s confidence grew greatly and chose to continue to writing despite his father’s disproval, eventually becoming a professional writer. Using the railroad as the metaphor for the journey the four set out huddled along the rail track together, reliant on one another whereas when they return to civilisation they walk spread apart as if to say they are no longer little boy’s dependant on one another but individuals. Like all journeys the journey along the railroad exposed the four young boys to new experiences and challenges which changed them and gave Gordie the confidence he needed to stand up to his father and continue his writing. The nature of the physical journeys is conveyed in the two texts the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the movie Stand By Me Huck which illustrate the ability journeys have to change someone’s way of thinking. Both protagonist Huck and Gordie are exposed to different scenarios than allow Huck to see the racism and ignorance of society at the time by juxtaposing awful people like the conmen to the compassion of Jim. Helping Huck see him as an equal. Gordie’s journey along the railroad also changed his way of thinking giving him the confidence he needed to continue his writing. Huck and Gordie both began their journey young, naive and insecure but finished it confident and informed.