Huckleberry Finn, Emma and Asher Lev develop all emotionally and mentally. Huckleberry Finn is especially presented as a complicated character whose immense desire for freedom, independence and individuality serves to make him stand out as a unique personality in his society. However, his poor background and challenging living conditions made him develop an antagonistic stance towards society which influences his perception of morality. His main dilemma is in finding a balance between his own and society's perception of the concept of morality. This impacts his journey towards self-awareness as it transforms him into an independent person and thinker who reaches at the end the conclusion that his own decisions, based on his own beliefs, are what really matter. Emma's origins are very contradictory to Huckleberry's as has been noted. However, her wealth and high status in her society is what makes her flawed and self-absorbed. She changes however over the course of the story which alters her opinions, thoughts and general outlook on life. Her journey towards self-awareness is reflected in the changes that occurred in her personality by the end of the novel when she is a much more realistic character that does not base her interpretations of life and people on imagination but on realism. Last, Asher Lev changes as a direct result of the inner conflict between his duties as a Jewish person and his love for art. He initially turns his back to his religious background which enables him to develop a personality free from the influence of his childhood. This makes him more aware and perceptive as is especially underlined in the following words: "Away from my world, alone in an apartment that offered me neither memories nor roots, I began to find old and distant memories of my own, long buried by pain and time and slowly brought to the surface now." (Potok, 1972, Page 322). In short, it becomes clear that each protagonist develops and grows as a result of direct interaction with his social setting which usually brings about conflict due to each character's unique personal characteristics and reaction to the issues faced with. Therefore, the three literary techniques of setting, characterization and theme enable the reader to comprehend each protagonist's journey towards self-awareness.
The understanding of the characters' journey towards self-awareness is enabled through the setting. The setting of Huckleberry Finn is in the South during the period before the abolition of slavery. The protagonist grows to witness the harsh and brutal reality of slavery and the people's reluctance to abandon it nevertheless which impacts his perception of morality and leads him to conclude that his own opinions and ethical choices are what really matter. Due to his interaction with others and as a result of being faced with many moral issues, Huckleberry adopts an independent point of view regarding matters as slavery and morality. It is thus the corrupt social setting that enables this growth towards an independent and self-aware perception of life. For example, when he is faced by the dilemma of writing a letter to turn Jim in to save his soul from Hell, this protagonist decides that he would rather go to Hell than betray his moral beliefs and his friend:" "All right, then, I'll GO to hell"(Twain, 2007, p. 102). Emma's development is also influenced by her social setting. She is situated in a small town where everybody knows, respects and loves her. She is recognized as an important social figure which initially confined her and led her to rely on her imagination as a way of escaping her reality which explains her love for matchmaking. Matchmaking forced her however to become aware of the significance of her actions and their consequences and opened her eyes to reality. Emma is thus initially presented as a self-absorbed person who is unable to be concerned or understandable of anybody else's feelings. As Austen described her: "The real evils indeed of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments" (Austen, 2007, p. 5) It becomes thus clear that this protagonist's privileged social setting and loneliness made her at first treat people as pieces in a chess game. Emma changes however through her interaction with her society and her recognition of the impacts of her manipulative and hurtful actions on others. It is this realization, due to a direct interaction with the same setting that isolated and spoiled her, that makes her reconsider her motives and grow as a result. Last, Asher Lev's setting is the most confined of all three. His Hasidic Jewish origins and his position within the upper class of the community place many responsibilities on his shoulders at a time when his love for art leads him to reject and neglect everything around him. Asher Lev's dilemma and clash with the expectations and demands of his social community had been part of his life from childhood into adulthood. His family's and community's opinion of his passion defined his personality from a young age as he had to deal with the critical perception of everybody around him of his dream to be an artist. For example, his father approached art as an evil product; an opinion affirmed in his reaction to Asher Lev's explanation of why he sketched Jesus with some nudes: "An animal can't help it," my father said, "a human can always help it" (Potok, 1972, p. 169).It is thus clear that Asher Lev's social setting pushed him to adopt a defensive and isolated stance in regard to his love for art; a clash that ultimately led to his abandonment of all that is familiar through moving to Paris which consequentially pushed him to grow up and mature in the face of the new reality, social circumstances and responsibilities faced with. This is how the setting influences the transformation of the characters in the three novels.
Characterization is another important literary technique used in the three literary works to illuminate the protagonists' independent journey towards maturity. For example, Huckleberry's personality is presented as different from the beginning of the novel when he is unable to accept Widow Douglas' attempt to provide him with a home and desires to run away instead. This highlights how the protagonist's thoughts and attitude were different from those of other children from a young age and led him to grow up to be the independent and secluded man who rejects his society's perception of morality. This difference from others is mainly the result of his father's influence on his upbringing. Huckleberry's father is presented as an abusive alcoholic who is unable to develop a healthy relationship with his son. It is this disturbed relationship that makes Huckleberry from a young age suspicious of others and unable to give his trust to those who wanted to help him, such as Widow Douglas. Huckleberry longed instead for freedom and escape which he ultimately realized through his physical journey down the river. The development in the protagonist's character is highlighted through the inner growth experienced as underlined in the difference his personality underwent. Huckleberry developed a clear sense of conscience by the end of the novel which enabled him to reflect upon his actions and their significance in the life of others. This is affirmed in the following quote:
"Conscience says to me 'What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean?' I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead" (Twain, 2007, p. 97).
Emma's character is on the other hand full of contradictions. She is presented as charming and beautiful yet manages to appear arrogant and selfish at other moments which make her behave superior in regard to some people in her life. Through these contradictory traits the reader is able to trace Emma's development. For example, in the beginning she is presented to think very highly of herself while at the end Emma comes to understand herself as a flawed character who is also capable of making mistakes. Thereby, she comes to fully understand her actions' impacts. Her imagination and her selfishness create initially a lot of conflict as she embarks on a journey of pairing other people romantically while overlooking her own interests on that level. It are these games that blind her from her own desires and needs to be with Mr. Knightly. In addition to this, she hurts Jane Fairfax. It is through this all that she is able to grow up and become more aware of herself and others as is underlined in the following words:
The first error, and the worst, lay at her door. It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together. It was adventuring too far, assuming too much, making light of what ought to be serious-a trick of what ought to be simple. She was quite concerned and ashamed, and resolved to do such things no more. (Austen, 2007, p. 126)
Last, Asher Lev's character is similar to Emma's in one regard: selfishness. He is presented as a character who is much more concerned with himself than the impact of his actions on others. (Potok, 1972, chapter 6) Asher is thus initially unable to reconcile his various responsibilities and find a balance in his life. He is blinded by a desire to satisfy his needs and is therefore unable to understand himself or the impact of his actions on others. However, at the end of the novel this character is no longer childish or a short-sighted self-interested person. His characterization enables the reader to understand the changes that occur in his journey towards growth and maturity. Asher's personal traits create a lot of conflict between him and his community which influences his emotional and mental development. His initial self-absorption is for instance affirmed in his decision to show his family the crucifixion paintings regardless of his knowledge of the impacts of this act. Asher justifies his decision in terms of personal grandness as is underlined in his following words: "I saw my mythic ancestor. Come with me, my precious Asher. You and I will walk together through the centuries, each of us for our separate deeds that unbalanced the world." (Potok, 1972, p.347) This protagonist's flawed character leads him to make several mistakes that enable him to learn at the end how to balance between his loyalty to his community and his love for artistic expression. This is a sign of emotional growth and development towards self-awareness.
The last literary device employed in the novel to further the subject of growth is the themes discussed. Themes help the readers of the three aforementioned novels to trace the development of the protagonists' journey towards self awareness. Huckleberry Finn is concerned with how to find a method to avoid society's teachings and stick to his own interpretations of morality. "I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before." (Twain, 2007, p. 405) Throughout the novel Huckleberry attempts to avoid the teachings of society as he comes to realize the hypocrisy associated with it. It is this refusal of society's teachings that lead him to become independent and isolated from it and influence as a result his journey towards self-awareness. Emma deals on the other hand mainly with the theme of marriage and romance which is why she is deeply involved throughout the novel with the act of match making. This theme underlines Emma's disconnection from reality and indulgence in her own imagination. It also underscores Emma's privileged social position that ultimately opens her eyes to her own truth. The psychological maturing of Emma's character throughout the novel is evident in her entrance of womanhood through her agreement to marry Mr. Knightley at the end of the novel despite her initial objections to marriage at the beginning of the story. It is Emma's attachment to her social setting that initially serves to present her as immature. Therefore, while Emma feels initially very lonely and misunderstood as is underlined in the following words: "That is the case with us all, Papa. One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other", she nevertheless is able to grow up and come to terms with her womanhood through her decision to integrate romance into her own life and acknowledge her personal need of it rather than attempt to pursue it through immature and short-sighted interference in other people's lives. (Austen, 2007, p. 76) Last, My Name is Asher Lev is concerned with art and religion or in other words desire and responsibility. In fact, Asher connects the two strongly through his belief that his beginning as an artistic genius was with his introduction into the secular world through Kahn. The date of 1-10-56 is for this reason burned into his memory as a turning point in his life that opened his perception to a new reality away from his religious setting:
I saw a folded piece of paper on the chair I had occupied earlier. I stopped and picked it up and unfolded it. It was a pencil drawing, a photographic likeness of my face made with an exquisite economy of line and without light and shade. The lower right-hand corner of the drawing contained a signature: Jacob Kahn. Below the signature was the date: 1-10-56. (Potok, 1972, p. 192)
This clash is a reason for major conflict within the story that underlines both Asher's flawed behavior and faulty manner in resolving it as well as his gradual understanding of his mistakes and willingness to change them towards the better. It is only at the end, when he is able to both comprehend his emotions as well as balance his priorities, that it becomes obvious how he had finally grown to be a man on all levels.
In conclusion, it is thus evident that the three characters of Huckleberry Finn, Emma and Asher Lev go through different stages of development as a result of their interactions and perception of their social reality or as a direct consequence of the conflict their personal characteristics bring about in their life and interactions with others. Setting and characterization are thus two important literary devices within the novels of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Emma, and My Name is Asher Lev. They simply enable the reader to grasp the personality and motivations of the three different characters which sheds light on their journey towards self-awareness.
