Huck, Emma, and Asher: Studies in the Theme of Self-Actualization Essay

In Mark Twains The Adventures of huckabackleberry Finn, Jane Austens Emma, and Chaim Potoks My Name is Asher Lev readers are presented with tercet characters that of different cartridge clip periods that each possess similar psychological traits. They each strive to attain egotism-awareness as they learn the lessons of life through hucks journey consume the river, Emmas experiences in the art of match-making, and Ashers conflicts with his familys Hasidism. Each story uses the theme of psychological struggle for self-actualization of its youthful protagonists to explore growing up in the different periods. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is a young, immature boy at the beginning of the novel living by the Mississippi in the nineteenth century. Huck observes his situation as one that is the design of others, not himself The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me but it was rough living in the house all the time and so when I couldnt stand it no longer I lit out and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and tell he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back (Twain, 1953, 11).This statement evidences Hucks undying love for the freedom and escape he finds in nature, and also his desire for Toms approval. Huck is forming his have got privateity, growing through his personal observations and realizations that civilization is not all that it appears or that he desires. During his trip d aver the river on the raft with Jim Huck observes, other(a) places do breakm so cramped up and smothery, but a raft dont. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft (118). It is this recognition of value that ultimately allows Huck to leave Tom and civilization behind, as he sets out for the west to pursue his own emancipation and maturity.Twain utilizes several literary techniques in order to convey Hucks maturation to the reader. Firstly, by telling the story from a low gear person perspective, we see Hucks development as it occurs, from his own mouth. Rather than being told by an external narrator that Huck is growing up, we see it evidenced in his speech and perceptions. Also, the recurring theme of hypocrisy that occurs in Hucks encounters with the civilized world and in the views on slavery that turn out from the text, a framework of repetition is established so that readers might see Hucks growth, when comparing it to a constant. Finally, Twain utilizes the symbol of the Mississippi Rivera thing that is in constant fluxto illustrate Hucks own movement toward adulthood and self-awareness. Like Huck, we see the theme of great personal maturation in the character of Emma, the Victorian English middle class girl. Austen introduces her as a girl used to having rather too much(prenominal) her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself (Austen, 2000, 1). As a result, Emma spends the bulk of the novel meddling in other packs lives and circumventing her love for Mr. Knightley. When Emma finally admits to herself her true feelings, it is the result of the lessons she has learned along the way and her own self-actualization.Because of the near ruination of Harriets romance, her insults to Miss Bates, and Mr. Knightleys cushy guidance throughout the novel, Austen writes, Emmas eyes were instantly withdrawn and she sat silently meditating, in a fixed attitude, for a a few(prenominal) minutes. A few minutes were sufficient for making her acquainted with her own heart. A mind like hers, once opening to suspicion, made rapid progress she touched, she admitted, she ack straight offledged the unscathed truth (268). Like Huck, Emma found out her true nature through personal observations, and was able to advance into maturity with her own independent wisdom. With as much acuity as Twain, Jane Austen utilizes rhetorical techniques to convey the theme of self-a ctualization in Emma. By structuring the story around social class, Austen creates a framework through which Emma moves. Also, Austen utilizes word games throughout the text, such as Mr. Eltons riddle meaning courtship. Emmas solution to the puzzle poses a double entendre, as she correctly guesses the answer, but does not see its meaning, just as she does not see the implications of her feelings for Mr. Knightley. Finally, Austen uses Mr. Knightley as a static character, in order to emphasize Emmas dynamic nature. In Mr. Knightleys steadfast character we see a yardstick by which Emmas maturity is measured.Like in the previous two novels, in Chaim Potoks novel My Name is Asher Lev, the theme of a youth struggling to achieve self-actualization is relayed. Readers are presented with the title character, a Hasidic Jew growing up in Brooklyn, and an incredibly knowing artist. Through Ashers struggle with this staunch religious sect, that views his paintings as a sacrilege, he learns ult imately to accept his art and himself. Away from my world, Asher states when living in Paris, only when in an apartment that offered me neither memories nor roots, I began to find old and distant memories of my own, long buried by pain and time and slowly brought to the surface now (Potok, 1972, 322). Because he has survived the hardships imposed upon him by his familys strict fundamentalism, Asher is now able to emerge from his past as an individual, apart from the culture, community, and family that produced him. Like Huck and Emma, Asher achieves maturity and independence by the end of the novel.Potok conveys this development of character through several literary techniques. Like Twain, he utilizes a first person point of view to present Ashers movement from boyhood to maturity. Also, in the figure of Ashers mythical ancestor we see a reflection of the protagonists development. As a child, the go out of his ancestor invokes fear in Asher, but at the conclusion of the novel he acts as an embodiment of Ashers own struggles with his heritage. Finally, Potok creates powerful images throughout the novel, apply Asher as a mouthpiece. Through these beautiful descriptions we see Ashers ability to comprehend and appreciate art, and, ultimately his growth as an artist.In each of these three individuals stories we see the theme of a youthful journey into mature self-actualization. In Hucks trip up the river, Emmas gallivanting through the social circles of Highbury, and Ashers banishment from the Ladover community and excursion through Europe, there is a great and inspiring parallel that of the human capability for change, growth, and enlightenment. Whether the young characters come about of age in the rural Midwest, Victorian England, or Brooklyn, the result is similar and includes the greatest gift a person can give to his or her self thoughtful independence.BibliographyAusten, J. (2000). Emma. New York, New York W. W. Norton & Company.Potok, C. (1972). My Name is Asher Lev. New York, New York Alfred A. Knopf.Twain, M. (1953). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. London, England Puffin Books.