Hucklebery Finn and Pleasentville
Have you ever heard of the great Mark Twain? Many people have and recognize his novels by name; especially his most famous book called Huckleberry Finn. The great thing about Huck is that it was meant to be a simple book, but ended up deemed a classic. The reason for this is that it contains many great american themes and motifs. Many American novels, books and movies also contain these themes and motifs, making it very easy to compare Huckleberry Finn to Pleasantville. Although very different "stories", in comparison Huck and Pleasantville have the same motifs. Both the movie and the book have the motifs of going west, rebel vs. the establishment and Jim Crow/Shaman. This essay will compare these common American motifs. The "go west" motif is about the characters running away or escaping from where they previously were (this doesn't necessarily have to include a trip west). In Huck Finn the river is the tool used
The last motif in these two works is the Jim Crow/Shaman motif, where one character acts stupid or strange in "society" and then becomes very intuitive in "nature". In Huck, Jim is the Crow/Shaman, changing with his surroundings. When in society Jim acts like the Crow, and it seems natural. When Jim and Huck go down the river Jim turns into the Shaman, and becomes somewhat smarter and intuitive. In Pleasantville Jennifer is the Crow/Shaman, and changes with the setting. When the movie first starts she is the Shaman; at home she fits in and knows exactly what to do. When she arrives in Pleasantville she becomes the Crow and acts very strange compared to everyone else. Both stories contain characters that are both Crow and Shaman. Another motif in these two works is the Rebel vs. the Establishment motif. In Huck the rebel would be Huck and one of the establishments would be the "civilized" people in the book. Huck refuses to believe that people can be so s
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Approximate Word count = 648
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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