Date of Award
2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
Sonstegard, Adam
Subject Headings
Caulfield, Holden (Fictitious character), Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious character), Bildungsromans -- History and criticism, Quests (Expeditions) in literature -- Symbolism, Heroes in literature -- History and criticism, Literature
Abstract
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye are both quest narratives in which the youthful protagonist begins his story trapped within a paradigm that oppresses him and -in order to escape- dies a symbolic death, descending to the underworld to learn a sacred truth that will be revealed at novel's end. The structure and symbolism are quite similar and follow the archetypal hero's journey, which I closely examine. In my thesis, I seek to prove that by descending to the "hell" of the Antebellum South and the conformist/materialistic world of post-war America, both Huck and Holden ultimately help to exorcise the demons of their respective war-torn societies. In my research, I discovered that most critics had not taken this comprehensive "spiritual" approach in analyzing Huck and Holden's quest, and I concluded that their journey through the underworld, and the sacred knowledge that they discovered there, helped in a small way change America herself
Recommended Citation
Polster, David G., "Structural and Symbolic Parallels Within the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Catcher in the Rye" (2014). ETD Archive. 708.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/etdarchive/708
