Degree Name
Master of Arts
Graduate Program
English
Advisor
Boulukos, George
Abstract
The hero's journey is a thread in literature connecting centuries worth of stories. Mark Twain draws inspiration from it in his The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as does Daniel Defoe in his Robinson Crusoe. Both Huck Finn and Robinson Crusoe are motivated for a bone-deep desire to see more of the world, and must travel into the unknown for any semblance of freedom. Facing adversaries at every turn, they must rely on a non-white counterpart to bring their stories to fruition. Their attitudes about independence and racial inequality say a lot about the conventions of their societies. Despite these texts being separated by over a century and an ocean, examining their similarities is valuable in understanding their larger impact and lasting legacies.