Rage Against Machine Three Rebels Essay

The protagonists of the tonics Emma by Jane Austen, My lay down is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, and The Adventures of huckleberry cinquen by Mark Twain every last(predicate) share a unmanageable streak that some(prenominal) serves them well and causes them dogfight in their respective novels. However, these protagonists didnt operate with a wild slue to the rules of their connection and times. Rather, all wiz-third characters are constrained in the finish up by the mores of Victorian England, Orthodox Judaic society and 19th atomic number 53 C S fall outhern values respectively.Exploring such aspects of Emma, My bring in is Asher Lev, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as theme, historical context, and psychological traits, it will be shown that despite Emma Woodhouses disdain for the institution of conglutination, Asher Levs living in the two seemingly opposite worlds of art and Jewish society, and Huckelberry Finns lack of respect for companionable refinement and rules, the three protagonists did not entirely succeed in their goals of living abides that went against the grain of their societies. Emma Woodhouse was described in the pages of Emma as a handsome, clever, and rich (Austen, p. 1, 1816) recent wo domain who was the apple of her worshipful fathers eye and the mistress of Hartfield, their family estate. Taking credit for the coupler of her former governess and a Mr. Weston, Emma decided to further hone her matchmaking skills by vista up her coadjutor Harriet Smith with various men of melloweder social status. This interest in Harriet Smiths marriage prospects directly contradicts Emmas own quest to remain individual in a society that offered women entirely bleak alternatives to marriage.patronage Emmas twin resolves to remain single and find Harriet a suitable mate, Emma eventually caved into the demands that were made on women of high social status when she gets engaged and realized that Harriet marrying a farmer named Ro bert Martin would ever alter their relationship. Asher Lev, the protagonist of My Name is Asher Lev, had loved to stack ever since he was small. His father, an important figure in the Ladover community, tried to discourage his son from acquiring too serious about his art while his mother implored Asher to draw pictures that were pretty, an assault to her sons melancholy mechanicic temperment.Despite reading in an art book that an artist should be step down of religion, country, etc, Asher decides that he will try to balance being a darling Jew with being a passionate artist. Under the guidance of Jacob Kahn, a non-practicing Jewish artist, Ashers art and his knowledge flourishes as he explores the use of crucifixes in his work. Asher is uneasy about showing the crucifixion pictures in a show, further he goes through with it, being true to his calling as an artist. The crucifixes at long last prove to be Asher Levs undoing as he is shunned by his parents and the Ladover commun ity in general.Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is an adolescent boy who enjoys looking for trouble with his ally Tom sawyer beetle stylus more than stressful to become a civilized boy at the hands of the widow woman and Miss Watson. After running away from his drunkard father, he decides to activate with Jim, who left Miss Watsons house after he prove out that Miss Watson was thinking of selling him. Even though Huckleberry Fin turn outs attached to Jim, he harbors doubts throughout the story about hiding a runaway slave.He even thinks about turning Jim in in front deciding that having a conscience just wasnt worth the moral agony of losing his fri subvert. In the end, the protagonists guerrillalious act of back up a slave escape his captors prove to be for nothing as Miss Watson, his former master, decides to set him free. All three novels have themes that someway relate back to rebellion or freedom. In Emma, the protagonist told her friend Harriet Smith that she never intended on getting married, a abrupt pronouncement in Victorian England.Her reasons are simple Fortune I do not want employment I do not want consequence I do not want I believe few married women are half as lots mistress of their husbands house as I am of Hartfield (Austen, p. 74, 1816) What Emma was saying was that her social status allowed her the freedom to chart her own tend throughout bearing, an option given to few women at the time. Another way that Emma tried to rebel against the social usance of Victorian England was to find her friend Harriet a mate of high social status.Since Harriets bloodline was unknown, intimately people would have scoffed at a pairing of Harriet with a man like Mr. Elton or Frank Churchill. Mr. Knightley echoes this sentiment when talking to Mrs. Weston Hartfield will only put her out of conceit with all the other coifs she belongs to. She will grow just refined enough to be uncomfortable with those am ong whom birth and heap have placed her home. (Austen, p. 31,1816) Freedom is the overarching theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.At the beginning and end of the novel, the protagonist yearns to be free from the rules and civilization of 19th century civic Southern society. For a boy that seemed to be hemmed in by leach clothes and spelling lessons, floating on a raft must(prenominal) have seemed like heaven Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft dont. You pure tone mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. (Twain, p. 134, 1985) The novel even ends with Huckleberry Finn promising to run away looking for more adventures, claiming that he been there before (Twain, p.296, 1985) with the civilized life. One of the themes of My Name is Asher Lev is the protagonists struggle between life as a sincere Jew and life as an artist dedicated to his craft. This battle is evident on the counterbalance page as Asher Lev introduces himself to a reader tha t is already familiar with his work. In this passage, Asher tears himself apart yet defends himself at the same time, showing dubiety years later with his decision to show the crucifixes I am an observing Jew. Yes, of course, observant Jews do not paint crucifixions.As a press of fact, observant Jews do not paint at all-in the way that I am painting I am a traitor, an apostate, a self-hater, an inflicter of pity upon my family Well, I am none of those things. And yet, in all honesty, I avow that my accusers are not altogether wrong I am indeed, in some way, all of those things. (Potok, p. 1, 1972) It was established earlier that Emma rebelled against Victorian society by resolving to stay single and fix up her friend Harriet with a man above her social status.As the novel ended with Emmas engagement to Mr. Knightley and Harriets engagement to Robert Martin, Emma realized that rebellion wasnt rather her cup of tea, deciding to let her friendship with Harriet fall to that of soc ial thanksgiving The intimacy between her and Emma must sink their friendship must switch into a calmer sort of goodwill (Austen, p. 435, 1816) At the start of the novel, Emma wanted to live her life according to her rules, but by the end became caught up in the social mores of Victorian England.Sharing the psychological trait of rebelliousness with Emma Woodhouse, Huckleberry Finn did everything he could to escape the stifling life of rules and convention, even traveling the length of the manuscript River with a runaway slave. However, the protagonist almost gave in to social conventions some(prenominal) times when he seriously thought about turning Jim in to the authorities. Huckleberry Finn even wrote a letter to Miss Watson telling her of Jims whereabouts, judgement better afterward.However, as Huckleberry Finn thought of all the things that Jim had done for him, he tears up the letter, saying All right, then, Ill go to hell (Twain, p. 223, 1985) The rebellious streak in A sher Lev started early. Even at a young age, Asher was voluntary to defend his gift, no matter the situation. For example, when Asher was called into the mashpias office for drawing a sinister picture of the Rebbe, Asher boldly stood up for his art to his disapproving father, something a polite Orthodox Jewish kid did not do in those times Foolishness is something thats stupidFoolishness is something a somebody shouldnt do. Foolishness is something that brings harm to the world. Foolishness is a waste of time. enthrall dont call it foolishness any more, Papa. (Potok, p. 129, 1972) Like Huckleberry Finn, Asher Lev knew how he wanted to live his life at a very young age. Also like Huck Finn, Asher was willing to thwart social conventions in order to communicate this. Despite the rebellious streaks of Emma Woodhouse, Huckleberry Finn, and Asher Lev, the time periods in which the three novels take place largely serve to mute the three protagonists individuality.In Emma, for example, women of her class were expected to be married. Those who didnt were largely seen as mournful beings on which to take pity. The character of Miss Bates was presented as a askew character, seen as a clown-like figure by Emma and others, and seen as an object of charity such characters as Mr. Knightley. Even Harriet Smith saw Miss Bates as someone to be pitied. However, Emma, Harriet, and even Jane Fairfax, thought to be doomed to a governess position, escaped Miss Bates fate by marrying according to the social customs of Victorian England.Rebellious in her youth, Emma realizes the error of her ways and did her womanly duty. The bestial tradition of slavery provided a subtle color to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Yes, the protagonist became fill up friends with a runaway slave. However, it was obvious that Huckleberry Finn was betrothaled about this friendship. One example of this conflict occurred when the protagonist meets his friend Tom Sawyer , who was on his way to t rim down relatives.When Tom suggests that they steal Jim away from the Phelps farm, Huckleberry Finn is flabbergasted Well, I let go all holts, then, like I was shot. It was the most astonishing speech I had ever heard-and Im bound to say Tom Sawyer fell, considerable, in my estimation. (Twain, p. 235, 1985) In other words, it was ok for Jim to travel with Huck when they were in no danger of getting caught. Once caught, Jim was no longer Hucks problem. He was even surprised that anyone would go to the trouble of recess the law to help a slave escape. Huckleberry Finn wasnt a unstable person.He was just a victim of pre-Civil War America. Growing up an Orthodox Jew who was also a gifted artist in the middle 20th century was a unique situation for Asher Lev. Throughout My Name is Asher Lev, the protagonist had tried valiantly to combine being a devout Jew with being an even more devout artist. He observed the Jewish belief despite studying under a non-practicing Jewish artist and l iving in Europe for a while. At the end, something had to give in Ashers struggle between Judaism and art, and it ended up being his place in the Ladover community.As Asher walked down the street after the Rebbe cast him out of the community, he contemplates his life thus far I was demonic and devine Asher Lev was the tike of the Master of the Universe and the Other Side. Asher Lev paints good pictures and hurts people he loves. (Potok, 367, 1972) From this passage, one can see how Asher Lev wondered whether the sacrifice was actually worth the love of his parents and his community. The protagonists of Emma, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and My Name is Asher Lev all sought to do things that were not really done in their times.Emma Woodhouse sought to raise the social status of her friend by marriage while remaining single herself in a time when both acts were looked down upon. Huckleberry Finn wanted to escape civilization while bringing along a runaway slave for company. As her Lev wanted to combine the life of faith with the life of art in a time when no one would even think about the two concepts together. Ultimately, the times of the three rebel protagonists proved to be too much, dulling their mutinous acts.