The Role People Play
Uploaded by Admin on Dec 09, 2000
The qualities of people are distinguished mostly by the impact others have upon them when they are children. These role models shape everyone’s life into the person we are to become, whether positively or negatively. In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn’s role models all impact Huck’s life and the way he lives throughout the novel. Miss Watson, Widow Douglas, and Jim give Huck positive support, while pap Finn impacts Huck’s life negatively.
Miss Watson and Widow Douglas guide Huck throughout his early years when he is without family support by improving his way of life, his religious aspects, his educational outlook, and protecting him from dangers in his life. These two women help to improve his way of life by trying to “sivilize” him. (1) Although Huck does not like this, he goes along with what Miss Watson says because Huck believes that “she's smarter than [him]. Maybe she's right." (8) Although Huck believes Miss Watson is smarter than he is, he does have an education because of the Widow and her support. He learns how to read and write, and realizes how much he actually enjoys it when he confronts his Pap with his literacy, a gift his father is not blessed with. Huck’s guardians also protect him from his drunken father. They had taken him into their home and given him so many gifts as if he was their own child. Along with education, guidance, and protection given to Huck by the two spirited women, the Widow and Miss Watson also show Huck values through regular prayer. They teach him and important lesson in life, that Huck should pray for “spiritual gifts [and] help other people, and do everything do everything [he] could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about [himself].” (8) This is saying more than the two ladies had meant it to. Since to Huck “people” included blacks, Huck is able to bring himself to aid even a runaway slave through Miss Watson and Widow Douglas’ leadership. Through these two women’s leadership and positive influence on Huck leads him on his adventures and led him to be able to trust men that are least likely to be trusted. This is the case in the runaway slave, Jim.
Although the least likely person to be a role model in the life of a young white boy...