Journey Essay

A journey is shown to change an individual and/or give a deeper understanding of their world, and can take the form of a physical, inner or imaginative journey. These journeys however can be a combination of two, inviting readers to explore deeper within the story. This is advocated with Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the rings trilogy, to which characters not only undertake a physical journey but a undergo inner struggles and changes.The characters of Huckleberry Finn (Twain) and Frodo Baggins (Jackson) will be analysed before and after their journey to which the effects of journeys will be expressed to the audience.

Mark Twain’s Huck Finn through his ignorance of ‘racism’ within his society provides a motive for Huck’s transformation in his journey. Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain gives way to the protagonist Huck who during the starting phase of the Picaresque novel is shown to have a limited view on the world through his lack of education and is oblivious to the unethical views of his society. Huck’s ignorance is symbolised with his comment on the Widow’s refusal of his smoking “That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it.” This quote used for a smaller issue can be seen to highlight the Huck’s own lack of knowledge regarding “racism”, to which the novel’s key theme is revealed to the audience.

Parallel to Huck Finn, Lord of the Ring’s Frodo Baggins easygoing and oblivious nature of the outside world is used to contrast the irreversible effects of the great journey into Mordor. While the trilogy’s human heroes, such as Aragorn, thrive in the wars and political intrigue of Middle-earth, hobbits seem to prefer to be far from the center of action. This separation engenders in hobbits a kind of innocence showing their ignorance of the outside world, which is advocated through Bilbo’s monologue describing the hobbit’s way of life. The scene depicting Frodo’s happiness during the birthday of Bilbo Baggins is used to contrast the traumatizing changes that will occur during the journey. Jackson expresses this idea with the use of peaceful music with intercutting shots of partying and enjoyment. However, to highlight the journey about to take place with Frodo, Bilbo uses the “one ring” to disappear in plain sight in front of his guests foreshadowing Frodo’s own journey with the ring. By exposing the audience to the simplistic ways of the Shire who are not affected by the outside world, the struggle that Frodo undergoes in his journey are intensified.

It is during the moral climax of Huckleberry Finn that the inner journey undertaken is shown to enlighten Huck of the true flawed nature of his society. With the duke and the dauphin having sold Jim, Huck takes a moment to consolidate his thoughts by writing a letter to Miss Watson, to which he ultimately decides to rip up, resolved to rescue Jim from “slavery”. “It was a close place. I took . . . up [the letter I’d written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: “All right then, I’ll go to hell”—and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming.” It is through this quote that the conflicted morality of Huck is exposed indicating a now formed understanding of the “racism” present within his “sivilized” world. By acting upon his new formed conscious and choosing to rescue Jim, the reader can observe in effects of the inner journey of Huck.

Lord of the rings expresses the negative influences of Frodo’s journey by emphasising his loss of innocence. In Jackson’s films, the hobbits return to the Shire after the great battle of Middle-earth has been fought, the evil forces of Sauron have been defeated and it portrayed that all of Middle-earth has become much like the Shire, a place free from strife. However, Frodo after his journey fails to adjust to his previous life and decides to depart Middle-earth with the elves emphasising the degree of traumatisation caused by his journey. Through the use of close up shots on the Frodo, his sombre facial expressions can be contrasted with the carefree nature of Frodo before his journey and to display the physical toll that his journey has had on him. Jackson also limits the dialogue during the ending scenes of Return of the King which implies that the events that have occurred during Frodo’s journey still weigh heavily in his mind, stopping him from enjoying previous pleasures. As Jackson expresses that Frodo’s journey took him beyond the point of no return, one can state that the changes that occur in journey’s can also lead to negative impacts on the life of it’s traveller.

Huckleberry Finn and Lord of the Rings is shown to feature a physical journey that is accompanied by an enlightenment of their world. Huckleberry Finn expresses this by following Huck’s changed morals regarding Racism as he journeys down the Mississippi river. The Lord of the Rings trilogy also opens Frodo’s eyes to the world, but underlines the negative impacts of these implications shown through Frodo’s loss of innocence from his Utopian society in The Shire. By examining these two stimuli, the impacts and characteristics of a journey is highlighted to the viewers.