Huckleberry Finn: Blog Post 5 (Coming-of-Age)

This post harbors the conclusion to Huckleberry Finn's adventure as well as his growth process, also known as "Coming-of-Age" or "bildungsroman".
Before I address my theme, I must say "Chapter the Last" was quite confusing. I had to triple-check each piece of dialogue to see exactly who was speaking (Tom? Sid? Huck?...Aunt Sally? Aunt Polly?<-- are those two the same person...? Maybe...maybe not). The names kept going back and forth and I might have mixed them up. So...if I quote the wrong person, you know why.

The biggest instance of Coming-of-Age (because why save the best for last when you could just have the best, period?) would be when TomSidHuck tries to convince Aunt Sally that Jim deserves to be free (and technically already is): "They hain't no right to shut him up! Shove!    and don't you lose a minute! Turn him loose! he hain't no slave; he's free as any cretur that walks this earth!" (Twain, 319).

I believe this ending event represents the epitome of HUCK'S (I really hope it was Huck who said the above quote) maturation. He states that there is no right to confine Jim and that he was as free as anyone else. This statement disregards the racial prejudice against Jim; Huck overcame those differences long ago and is now brave enough to express his view of Jim to others. And it is widely known that racial prejudice is a stubborn one, so congratulations to Huck Finn for seeing past it. So, Pap and Miss Watson died, Jim was set free for the second time, and Huck and Tom were able to return to their adventurous lives. #HappyEnding

All in all, Huckleberry Finn was able to steadily become more mature throughout the novel and see Jim as an equal (race seemed to be the main issue in the plot). Round of applause for Huckleberry Finn.
                                 

                                               

As for Aunt Sally....

Huckleberry Finn: Blog Post 4 (Coming-of-Age)

“What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t real kings and dukes? It wouldn’t a done no good; and besides, it was just as I said; you couldn’t tell them from the real kind,” (Twain, 180). This quote holds so much meaning, it is unreal. So far, nothing, in my opinion, could represent Coming-of-Age more than Huck’s thoughts in that passage. If he had chosen to enlighten Jim and tell him the truth about the two, it would only serve to bring him down or cause him to become spiteful towards them. And, in a way, Huck could be telling the truth. As a second reason for not telling Jim, he states that “you couldn’t tell them from the real kind”. He is addressing masked corruption by saying this. The “king” and the “duke” are technically just as corrupt as real kings and dukes, only using different methods. In a way, it’s similar to sinning. One could kill a man, rob a bank, or sleep with many women, but, in the end, it’s all the same. They’re all bad, so what’s the point of trying to differentiate the circumstances? And the fact that Huck can think so wisely is enough to show that he is mature, and, perhaps, always has been. I believe bildungsroman has a lot to do with mental processes and the ways that people perceive life; therefore, Huckleberry Finn is headed in the right direction. Huck is growing up.