There are a great number of different pieces of literature, which became to be the works representing significant value to the world of literature, literary critics and people fond of the enormous world created by the works of literature of different styles and periods.
But I am going to introduce my work representing critical analysis of the greatest novels and their main characters from the point of view of similarities and diversities of the journeys each protagonist makes toward self-awareness. Thus the novels are “Huckleberry Finn” written by Mark Twain, “Emma” written by peerless Jane Austen, and “My Name is Asher Lev” written by Chaim Potok.
The novels represent different kinds of main characters: a very talented artist, Asher Lev, who tries to find his way in life to develop his talent; a young boy, Huckleberry Finn, who is searching for some better conditions of life and tries to introduce better conditions for slaves; and a young woman, Emma Woodhouse, an inhabitant of a small village who has never seen the sea, this girl lives with her father.
The novels describe the roles of the three protagonists and their journeys towards achieving certain results. All three novels are aimed at provoking thoughts and affecting the reader’s perception of the protagonists’ growth.
There are some differences in the novels as the plot is intricate, whereas “My Name is Asher Lev” written by Chaim Potok is full of different flashbacks and forwards; the tone of book is extremely thoughtful. The action takes place in New York and the flashbacks are concerning Italy dating 1960s to-1970s.
The protagonist is a very gifted teenage artist and the representative of Jewish community; he is a very religious person who prays three times a day. The only one who does not support Asher is his father, here we can see a generation and cultural gap; as two generations of one family cannot find a certain compromise and reach an agreement. The father of the main character is a diplomat in his mid-40s; he possesses conservative views and accepts his son’s talented works only as hobby.
The novel “Emma” written by Jane Austin is represented from a very interesting perspective, thus there appears expression of the perpetual chain of events when the main character of the novel tries to unite her friend by the bonds of affection and even a nuptial knot. The novel “Huckleberry Finn” is narrated in the first person and the speaker is the main character who tells the readers about his life and adventures.
The next point I am going to analyze is the relationship of the main characters of the novels under discussion with members of their families. Thus Emma Woodhouse from the novel “Emma” by Jane Austin is the only child of the family; she lives with her father in the huge estate, she does not have mother as she died many years earlier.
The girl is very energetic, a good friend and companion. The father of the protagonist is rich and he wants his daughter to live in happiness and wealth. So, he decides to marry her off to achieve his goals. Emma is a self-willed young lady; she refuses to get married and instead starts arranging relations with her friends.
Huckleberry Finn is a young boy, whose desire for adventures can be compared only with the human desire to live. He is very energetic and quick-witted, but he lacks some persistence to achieve his goals. Huck lived with his father only, he does not mention his mother, then a kind widow took him to care of him. She tried to make him obtain education and basic knowledge of religious aspects.
One day Huck’s father appeared again; they lived an ordinary life until his father started to beat Huckleberry. The poor boy escaped and had to take care of himself on his own. He would rather escape and live on the raft with his slave-friend Jim.
The main character of the novel “My Name is Asher Lev” has complicated relations with the members of his family, as his father does not support him in his hobby and pays little attention to the boy’s talent. Thus all the three protagonists of the novels under consideration have problems in relations with their families. As their families are not full it is even more complicated to interact with members of their families.
Thus the conclusion is concerned with the comparison and contrast of the famous novels of well-known writers: “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “Emma” Jane Austen, and “My Name is Asher Lev” written by Chaim Potok. The literary works are different from the point of view of presentation of basic aspects and concerns, but at the same time there appear a great number of ideas common for the three novels. The aspects in common are the complicated relationships between the protagonists and their families; the main characters of the two novels are males and the narration is represented from the first person.
The protagonists are different but similar at the same time: they have different goals but they are very energetic and persistent from the point of view of achieving those goals. Thus Emma in her burning desire to be happy tends to affect her friends’ feelings; Huck is craving for adventures and starts the journey to protect his friend Jim from slavery; Asher is an extremely gifted artist, whose talent is rejected by his father.
Works Cited
Austin, Jane. (2001). Emma. New York: Random House, Inc.
Potok, Chaim. (1983). My Name is Asher Lev. New York: Fawcett Crest.
Twain, Mark. (2008). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Penguin Books.