Huck vs Siddhartha

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“Relationships lie at the heart of good fiction”. This statement no doubt pertains to both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well as Siddhartha. I would be focusing on how relationships help to bring across the purpose of the story, thus making it a novel of good fiction. In Huckleberry Finn, I would be focusing on how Mark Twain uses the relationships between Huck and Pap as well as Huck and Jim to bring across his purpose of showing how Jim was a much better father to Huck than Pap ever was and how it differs in bringing out this huge contrasting irony. In Siddhartha, I would be focusing on how the relationship between Siddhartha and his son is used to bring forth the theme of Siddhartha’s quest for enlightenment. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain illustrates the bond formed between Huck, the young white protagonist, and Jim, Huck's black companion. Huck's father Pap, while he was still alive, had beaten Huck repeatedly, kidnapped and scared his son to the extent, that Huck, out of fear, feigns his own death to escape Pap's grasp. While Huck and Jim travel down the river it becomes apparent that Jim is more of a father figure to Huck than his biological father. Pap teaches the virtues of a life not worth living, while Jim gives Huck the proper fatherly support, compassion, and knowledge for Huck to become a man. Although Huck and Jim come from separate racial backgrounds their time together allows them to surpass their ethnic segregation and become true friends, and family.

A father's character traits are meant to be examples for which his children can base their own lives on. Pap attains none of these attributes. Pap is an ignorant drunkard who attempts to cheat any possible person. He goes so far as to even steal from his own son. Pap views Huck as someone upon whom he can assert himself. He attempts to drain Huck of all characteristics that would make Huck superior to himself. "You're educated, too, they say; can read and...
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