American Fiction, The American Adolescent

Further focusing on the importance of the River, Johnson (1996) asserted that the plot of the novel is episodic in its nature, and is not structured traditionally, but rather is held together by one of the most American of all geographic elements, the Mississippi.  The fact that most of the novel’s action takes place either on it or in its vicinity, is a sign of Twain’s desire to deviate from the typical ‘tightly constructed’ plot, in favour of an episodic narrative based around natural forms (Johnson, 1996).  This movement away from convention creates a mirror effect, reflecting Huck’s rejection of civilisation. Though simple in its form, picaresque is certainly an apt description of Huck Finn as a novel.  The journey downriver becomes a representation of Huck’s transition from childhood to adulthood, a ‘novel of the road’, bearing strong characteristics of the picaresque novel. The presence and characterisation of the River allows the protagonist Huck to drift to and from it, creating a focal point for the novel (Trilling, 1948).  In the passage, the continual references to the River emphasise its importance to Huck and to the novel.  As it is, the distinctive Mississippi River offers an escape route for Huck and provides the backdrop for what has been described as ‘the original American road story, but on a river’ (Mullan, 2008) .

Yet if Huck’s aforementioned ‘freedom on the raft’ (Millard, 2007) is an escape act of sorts, then it begs the question of what he is attempting to escape from.  Continuing with the idea of Huck Finn as a picaresque novel, the protagonist is presented as something of a rebellious loner, who fails to integrate with society (Johnson, 1996).  As made clear in the passage through Huck’s contented language, life away from politics and the public is what he values most.  During the course of the novel, he finds himself constantly at odds with nineteenth century American society, favouring free will and liberty over the hypocritical laws of civilisation, which acknowledge slavery and racism as part of their way of life.  Huck rejects these ideals, in favour of the most American of principles; those contained in ‘The Declaration of Independence’, that state: ‘all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’.   Huck’s escape on the River is a mission in which he seeks to attain all of these values, in spite of a farcical society (Wieck, 2004:3).

One of the key similarities between Twain and Salingers’ representations of the rebellious American adolescent can be found by comparing the language and narratives of the respective texts. Both Twain and Salinger use first person retrospective narratives combined with teenage slang; the resulting effect is that the protagonists are granted instantly recognisable voices and personalities, thus forming an intimate relationship with their readers (Graham, 2007).  Holden’s mention of BB guns (p.89) and Huck’s remark about frogs laying eggs (p.110) serves not only to create a humorous effect, but allows the adolescent character to connect with the perceived adult reader, thus encouraging the reader to acknowledge the protagonists’ words and recognise their existence.

However, Graham (2007) argues that as readers we should not be blinkered by the colloquial language and comedic instances that occur throughout Catcher and that the novel has serious implications for post-war society in America.  As a result of his moral stance against the ‘phonies’ of American society, the non-conforming protagonist Holden is forced into a life of alienation, when all he seeks is the love and stability that comes with being part of a family. His constant family references, namely to his deceased brother Allie, highlight his search for stability since the death of his brother (Graham, 2007).  His distrust of society is emphasised with particular strength in the given passage, when he goes as far as to demonstrate his misgivings about Jesus’ Disciples; he remarks: “…they were about as much use to Him as a hole in the head.  All they did was keep letting Him down.” (p89).

The theme of the runaway American adolescent which features in both Huck Finn and Catcher is one which draws the strongest sense of comparison between the two texts. However, the two young protagonists show major differences in circumstance and mentality. While Huck shows a strong and single-minded desire to leave home permanently, Holden’s motives are more conflicting.  Heiserman and Miller (1956:129), consider The Catcher in the Rye in terms of the more European “Quest” genre of novels, in which the protagonist is either searching for something, or attempting to get home.  Heiserman and Miller claim that Holden is ‘engaged in both sorts of quests at once; he needs to go home and he needs to leave it.’  Where the Mississippi seems to provide Huck with purpose, direction, as well as an idyllic impression of life; Holden’s “Quest” lacks any sort of focal point.   In fact, contrasting dramatically with Huck’s escape away from civilisation and towards nature, Holden’s uncertainty can be exemplified by the fact that, in order to flee from the “phonies” who constitute society, he chooses to escape not to somewhere rural, but to the densely populated city of New York.  As a result, the journey he embarks on is more erratic and with darker undertones.  In the passage, Holden himself says: “Boy, I felt miserable.  I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine.” (p89).   On his journey, Holden is never physically isolated from society, yet his loneliness forms a stark contrast to the companionship that forms between Huck and Jim.  Characters such as Mr Antolini drift in and out of the episodic narrative that forms Catcher, but none of them remain in the protagonist’s company for long.  The result is Holden’s inevitable alienation, which he expresses so clearly in the given extract.  When Sunny leaves him, he is once again left on his own to dwell upon his predicament, seemingly with nobody to turn to.

Huck’s escape from society, according to Marx (1953), triggers a series of events which allow him to finally come of age and “grow in stature”.  As made evident in the given passage, through his discussions with Jim, Huck contemplates meaningful religious, philosophical and scientific ideals, such as the nature of spirits, and the formation of the universe.  Huck appreciates the presence of the stars and remarks “we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, ands discuss about whether they was made or only just happened”(p.110).  As Marx comments, “all he has seen and felt since he parted from Tom has deepened his knowledge of human nature and of himself”.  Huck’s curiousness and apparent thirst for knowledge mean that his journey is didactic in its nature.

Yet, contrasting with Huck’s character development is the view that Holden shows little or no character development, and that he remains the same narrow-minded cynic at the end of the novel (Aldridge, 1956).   Unlike Huck, Holden’s immaturity and refusal to change mean that he is unable to “draw any conclusions from his experience” (Hassan, 1961).  As previously mentioned, Holden’s uncertainty over what he actually seeks is the likely factor in this outcome.

To conclude, it is clear that comparisons can be drawn between the two passages, which reflect wider issues in the respective texts.  The American attitude that is epitomised by the quest for liberty and new ideas is explored to a great extent in both novels.  Both Huck and Holden exemplify the rebellious adolescent, and demonstrate what happens when a member of American society fails to agree with the social norm.  In Catcher and Huck Finn, both Holden and Huck attempt to break free from the “phony” and hypocritical societies, which they are reluctantly a part of.  However, in doing so, these two adolescents gain contrasting experiences, which impact very differently on their character development.  Huck escapes away from civilisation, and as such is liberated.  Holden, on the other hand, has conflicting intentions, and by escaping the city he is neither liberated nor calmed.  Perhaps the message that can be drawn from the two texts is that there is a line between the American values of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and social resistance.  Huck is more aware of what he seeks, and so seems to be more enlightened, while Holden has conflicting goals, which prevent him from ever being happy.  As evidenced, the idea of the ‘American Man’ and the values associated are something that may be difficult for the typical adolescent to comprehend and apply to their own life.

Bibliography

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Millard, K. (2007), Coming of Age in Contemporary American Fiction, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

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Twain, M. (1884), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a Case Study in Critical Controversy, Second Edition (Edited by G. Graff and J. Phelan), Boston & New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004

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