Brainstorming

            For my paper that compares the iconic novels The Catcher In The Rye and The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, I plan to discuss how the influence of the parental figures in both books caused Holden and Huck to leave what the knew behind in search of direction in their lives, someone to simply listen to them, and to find happiness. I am confident I can come up with a compelling argument to back up my thoughts, but I need to first critically think about the different points of evidence I can use in my persuasion. That is the point of this blog post.

            At the very beginning of The Catcher In The Rye, we get a very brief description of Holden’s parents. It is literally a few sentences. That’s all. This briefness is symbolic of the roles they play in his life: they seem to be detached and uninterested in Holden. They fail to recognize Holden’s need for a parental figure. Throughout the whole novel, he is desperately searching for someone to talk to. From Ackley to Stradlater to the whore to the cab drivers to Sally to Mr. Antolini and finally to Phoebe, Holden is searching for someone to confide in. All of these figures in his life, save for dear Phoebe, fail to not be “phony”. Phoebe is the only one that Holden can finally feel happy with. He can share his feelings with his sister. This desperation to let out his struggles stems from the absence of his parents in Holden’s life. He is lost. He is depressed. He wants to kill himself. Even when he goes home, Holden sneaks around to avoid his parents. Their unapproachability leads Holden to become lost and consumed by his own thoughts after his brother, Allie, dies.

            Pap, while he is interested in Huck’s life, he brings Huck down. All pap wants from Huck is Huck’s money and intelligence. Pap eventually kidnaps Huck and traps him in a cabin in the backwoods. Pap gets drunk. He rants. He screams. He nearly kills Huck. This violence and unstable home situation lead Huck to leave and set off down the Mississippi River. Along the way, he meets Jim, a runaway slave. Over the course of their adventures, Huck comes to love Jim because he represents everything pap isn’t: a father, caring, loving, and loyal. Jim fills pap’s shoes. The two stick together throughout the book, and when Jim is nabbed by the Phelps family, Huck devises a plan to steal him back. At many points throughout The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, Huck could’ve easily abandoned Jim. But he didn’t. He remained loyal to him because Jim was like a father to Huck, and that was something Huck had never had before.