In the 35 year time period between 1885 and 1920 many significant events took place. Including many events that improved and made our society grow to what it is today. Everything from modern film photography to electric cars to the end of World War Ⅰ, this time period was very prosperous for American History. Authors Mark Twain and E.M Forster were both very popular authors during this time period. Mark Twain was born in Missouri on November 30th 1835. His birth name was Samuel L. Clemens but he wrote under the names Mark Twain and went on to author several novels, including two classics of American literature: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Within these two stories he incorporates some of his life story as he grew up on the Mississippi river, where both these books are set. Many of the events that go on his stories are connected with his young life and things he witnessed, such as murders at a young age, and how the steamboat was a big part of his life as well. E. M Forster on the other hand was born on January 1, 1879 in London, England. His father was an architect who died when Forster was a baby, and he was brought up by his mother and paternal aunts. As a result of being raised by women he wrote from his experiences, including being raised by mainly women. Both of these authors wrote about their young lives and their life experiences.
In the books The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Room with a View authors Mark Twain and E. M Forster use their protagonists to represent events that went on in their lives when they were a similar age. They both illustrate the concept of growth in their characters and how things helped them along the way encouraging them to grow and mature. In spite of the fact that neither of the books are similar in the least, both authors illustrate the growth patterns of their protagonists quite similarly. In both of the novels there are specific factors that assist in the growth of their protagonists. Both protagonists grow significantly by the end of the novel, not only by developing an understanding of authority but by understanding the society surrounding them and as well as growth in the nature and societies environments while facing life’s greatest challenges. Twain and Forster focus clearly on the environments surrounding their characters and as mentioned above, the environments in both of their novels reflect the environments they grew up in so they have a connection with their characters in that sense.
In E. M. Forster’s A Room with a View his protagonist Lucy Honeychurch is a young women growing up in Europe during the early 1900s, during this time women were not equal to men, and as a young women you were growing up to eventually gain rights and become equal to me, even today in some countries women still are not equal to men, this brings up the topic of authority. In Forster’s book, mainly women are in charge which is interesting considering the time period it is in, but this is due to Forsters upbringing as mentioned before. Lucy is chaperoned on a trip to Italy by her cousin Miss. “Charlotte Bartlett. They are staying at the Pension Bertolini and Lucy is under the care of Charlotte. Even though Lucy wants to break free of the care of her cousin she learns to respect the fact that Charlotte is authority and is responsible for the safety of Lucy. Many instances in the story Charlotte keeps secrets for Lucy regarding her love life, and in these times Lucy respects her cousin because she is trustworthy. There is a young boy who is in Italy at the same time as Lucy and Charlotte. His name is George. They first encounter him when they arrive at the Pension Bertolini. When the people from the Pension were out one day on a wagon ride, Lucy, who doesn’t yet understand her own feelings for George, is shocked by the sudden kiss. The kiss occurs out in the field and Charlotte arrives just in time to see and to impose the judgment of traditional society on George and Lucy.
George had turned at the sound of her arrival. For a moment he contemplated her, as one who had fallen out of heaven. He saw radiant joy in her face, he saw the flowers beat against her dress in blue waves. The bushes above them closed. He stepped quickly forward and kissed her. Before she could speak, almost before she could feel, a voice called, “Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!” The silence of life had been broken by Miss Bartlett who stood brown against the view (Forster 78).
This prompts Charlotte to take authority and refuse George and Lucy’s feelings for each other. She encourages Lucy to not let people know about the kiss so that no rumors are spread. Here Lucy quickly realizes how important Charlotte is to her and how with the help of her cousin she can grow up to be like her someday. Forster uses Charlotte as a huge factor in Lucy’s life to keep her grounded and help her make responsible decisions.
In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn his main character is young Huckleberry Finn, an orphaned boy who goes on an adventure down the Mississippi river. This story has many ups and downs to it and many characters but the main characters Huck and Jim are embarking on this great adventure together. Jim was the slave to the Widow Douglass who Huck lived with. Huck had the mentality to use jim as his slave as well, and often mistreated him on the trip. Jim is Huck’s “guide to growth” he is the ultimate role model in Huck’s life. He would sacrifice anything for Huck yet Huck does not reciprocate. Throughout the book Jim constantly proving himself as the more practical and mature person because Huck cannot read, which puts Jim above him.
“Well, he [Jim] was right; he was most always right; he had an uncommon level head, for a nixxer” (Twain 74).
Huck was awfully surprised at the fact that Jim was able to read and discuss certain things because he was under the assumption that black men do not read. Jim is the pilot on the journey of Huck’s growth. He helps Huck in many situations, just like when they would take sleeping shifts to keep watch while they were on the raft. Often Jim would stay up all night and let Huck get his sleep.
“I went to sleep, and Jim didn’t call me when it was my turn. He often done that. When I waked up just at daybreak he was sitting there with his head down betwixt his knees, moaning and mourning to himself. I didn’t take notice nor let on. I knowed what it was about. He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (Twain 150)
Jim missed his family, and he would often stay up at night thinking about them. Huck says “I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” and this shows that Huck is realizing that Jim is just as sensitive as any white man, and that he truly loves his family. Huck did not have a lovign father, his father was a drunk. This scene is when Huck looks to Jim like a father figure. Twain uses Jim to show Huck how to love anybody. Jim is Huck’s guide in life to teach him.
Young Lucy is eager to break out into society, and make a life outside of her own family. Her growing environment has inhibited her from doing so. Her family is very close and always together. Forster puts Lucy in many situations where she is controlled and allows her to break free in those times. For instance, when Lucy is engaged to Cecil he is a very controlling fiance and does not allow Lucy to grow in her own way. Lucy and Cecil were engaged for a couple weeks, but Lucy still had feelings for George. She realized she needed to get out of the engagement with Cecil. When she did she looked back and wondered how she had stayed with him for so long.
The scales fell from Lucy’s eyes. How had she stood Cecil for a moment? He was absolutely intolerable, and the same evening she broke off her engagement (Forster 194).
When Forster refers to scales its like Lucy was finally set free from the shackles that held her to Cecil. Cecil wants to possess Lucy. He is in love with an idea of woman, and he will constantly try to reshape Lucy into that idea after they get married. His refusal to play tennis was the last straw for Lucy because Cecil was so stuck up and did not want to play. Lucy discovers that he is unbearable
“I vote tennis,” said Freddy, […] “Yes, so do I.” Once more she closed the unfortunate piano. “I vote you have a men’s four.”“All right.” “Not for me, thank you,” said Cecil. “I will not spoil the set.” He never realized that it may be an act of kindness in a bad player to make up a fourth. “Oh, come along Cecil. I’m bad, Floyd’s rotten, and so I dare say’s Emerson.” George corrected him: “I am not bad.” One looked down one’s nose at this. “Then certainly I won’t play,” said Cecil (Forster 178).
Forster gives Lucy the control in this situation and allows her to overcome the fact that Cecil was mistreating her. Later on after Cecil is out of the picture Lucy is set free to blossom into the women she wants to be with the man whom she loves – George. Lucy’s growth environment is fairly healthy once she gets out of the restraints of Cecil.
Huck grew up in a not-so-traditional home, his father did not come around much and he had no mother. He is raised by a widow and her sister. When Huck runs away successfully from his father who abducted him he finds himself on an island, later on he discovers Jim and he is happy to see someone he knows. They are out in nature while on their adventure. Twain incorporates many symbols throughout his book, in particular a lot of things out in nature. One example is how the raft on the river represents freedom for Huck and Jim, although they have rough patches along the way, they are free. In the family of nature, Huck develops a sound heart and sympathy for Jim, who, as mentioned above, misses his family deeply. By the end of the book Huck looks up to Jim like a father figure because he has helped him. Twain uses nature to allow Huck to fend for himself and to become understanding to Jim and his race, and to be thankful for what he has.
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