Huckleberry Finn: Growing Up

In Mark Twain's masterpiece, Huckleberry Finn sets out on an adventure that will mark him for life. Two events stand out to me as sure evidence that this is a bildungsroman, that Huck changed and the central story focused on his coming of age. The first is when he decides not to write to the widow and tell her about Jim. He decides he'd rather go to hell than betray the "nigger" who has become his friend. He shows himself more mature than most people around him because he defies social standards and, in his eyes, risks even his own eternal salvation for the sake of someone else. The other scene is when Huck tells Mary Jane about the duke and king's plan. The longer he stayed with those two lying thieves, the longer he prolonged his own maturity. When he finally stood up for what was right, he looked to the interest of the sisters more than to his own interests, which evidences a certain maturity. 

It should be noted that Huck's adventure is not a thrill ride just for the fun of it. That is Tom Sawyer's way, but Huck is simpler at heart and more laid back. His adventure is somewhat unavoidable because of the tough circumstances he found himself in with Pap.  While Huck had to choose to mature through many other decisions throughout the story, he's originally set out because otherwise he would stay in the cabin with his drunkard dad and be beaten and locked in, for who knows how long. It seems almost anyone would have escaped somehow. Yet the decisions down the line show a definite change of character.

Huck's Maturity in Loyalty to Jim

One thing that’s interesting about Huck and Jim’s relationship is that while Jim can freely give his love and express great gratitude to Huck for helping him, Huck wrestles consistently with his relationship with Jim because of social standards around him. The scene where Huck almost betrays Jim to the boatmen illustrates this struggle: After feeling like he can finally turn him in and thinking it will actually bring him peace to do so, Huck cannot bring himself to do it. He lies, saying his family is on the raft sick with small pox. There is something in Huck, which really is unexplainable, that ties him to Jim. Everything and pretty much everyone else around him would say he is in the wrong for helping a slave, but he has a sense of justice that he sticks with even when he thinks it will damn him to hell. That is loyalty if I’ve ever seen it, and it’s awfully mature. 

Huckleberry Finn: Forced to Grow Up

In the first chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we see Huck dealing with his drunk, abusing father, who comes back while Huck is living with the widow. This part of Huck’s story shows one reason why he is able to — why he has had to — grow up. His father acts like the child most of the time, so Huck must care for him and find ways to protect himself. It’s ironic and sad: a father, the one who is supposed to defend his child, forces the child to defend himself from him. In order to do so, Huck must built endurance and employ creativity, as we see with his escape from the cabin. It’s also an incredible feat for him to be able to live his life as he chooses even when his father spites him for becoming “better than” the rest of the family.

Harry Potter: A Bildungsroman?

I find myself wrestling with whether or not Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, or the whole series, is a coming-of-age novel, a bildungsroman. As discussed in class, Harry definitely changes, and since he is a young character, he is maturing into adulthood. However, this could be a hero legend, where a central character must undergo a difficult task in order to save someone or even an entire community; it could be this and no more, though it may contain elements of the bildungsroman. 

 

However, I conclude that J.K. Rowling's story can rightly be classified as a contemporary bildungsroman. Yes, Harry is a hero, but I believe his process of growing up is central to the action and the message of the books. His changes are significant enough to constitute the kind of changes required in a bildungsroman character. He chooses his own death, for goodness sake! Throughout the series, Harry goes from a young and uneducated wizard to a skilled one, who carries the fate of his world on his shoulders. He is entrusted by Dumbledore with an incredible task, and though he makes mistakes and hesitates at times, in the end, Harry rises to the occasion. One aspect of a bildungsroman story is its ability to mediate between the individual and his community, as Tobias Boes states as he analyzes the early fiction of Joseph Conrad as bildungsroman material. Because Harry is ultimately the only one who can kill Lord Voldemort and restore all that the powers of dark magic have stolen from the world of wizardry, he must mediate between himself and his community, and he does this by offering himself to die for this cause. 

I Heart Hermione

Harry's close friend, who he considers close enough to be a sister, is a loveable character, for sure. I relate to her in several ways: She's a little nerdy, with her wealth of knowledge and love for learning, yet she's personable, bold and soft-hearted, as well. (I think she has more courages and common sense than I do, though.) While it's not surprising to find her crying, how many times does she save Harry or conjure up just the right spell at just the right time? That takes guts, and I like it. Ron leaves; she stays. She’s committed and loyal to the cause, desperate for a part to play, even when it’s a difficult task.

 

Despite Hermione’s evident strength, though, she needs the people around her as much as all the other characters do. (I think the book as a whole beautifully illustrates the necessity of community, both family and friends). She battles about her emotions for Ron at times, but then when he leaves, she is heartbroken and torn. I love that they end up together in the end. They balance each other well.

Role Models: Dumbledore, Sirius and Harry's Parents

As I've read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I've noticed how much Harry relies on memories of those he's most admired. The strongest influences in his life have come from Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black and his parents, Lily and James Potter.

Harry's parents' role plays out in his memories and the things he hears about them from others. Since they died when he was young, he remembers little about them and was not at an age to receive much knowledge from them. However, it is obvious he's been told great things about them because of his deep respect and affection for people he never even really knew. It seems their memory pushes him forward during some difficult times. 

Sirius Black had longer to instruct and love Harry, and he became more than just a godfather -- a trusted friend and adviser, as well. Loved by his parents, it is easy for Harry to quickly love and trust him, too, and his instructions become invaluable during Harry's journey.

Lastly, Albus Dumbledore, Harry's beloved headmaster, took special interest in him while at Hogwarts, teaching him personably because of the role he knew Harry would play in Wizard history. Seen almost as all-wise and -intelligent at times, Harry also receives instruction easily from him. It is interesting, however, that in the last book, his reputation becomes questioned. This is a curious aspect of a bildungsroman story: what happens when a role model's past (or lies about his past) come out? How does he overcome this?

Another interesting aspect is the fact that all Harry's role models are in fact dead now. What does it mean for him to journey without them? Maybe that is a key part of his coming of age: the time when he must figure things out completely on his own, only drawing on things once told him.