Eugène Ionesco once remarked that “childhood is the world of miracles or magic: it is as if creation arises brightly from the night, brand new, fresh and astonishing”, an extremely idealistic perception of children and their lives. While children see the world through the lens of innocence, we sometimes forget that they still see the same world as we do, including its horrors. Novels about childhood can be guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light; a light that reflects only the good things surrounding their childhood: their apparent “filtered” and “censored” perspective of the world, a comfortable upbringing, a world of imaginative play, and safe nurtured development. An idealized version of the child presents them as someone would want them to be, if everything were perfect; a presentation presumed by a lack of realistic perspective and control. However, it cannot be said that novels about childhood are always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light, because through different periods of literature, many writers have unearthed a realistic presentation of children and their childhood , showcasing both their highs and lows. Although some novels about childhood may feature sensational detail, for example during the Romantic period, with idealized versions of the child being depicted in general, many of these novels are based on the writer's own childhood, or at least some aspects of it are. Everyone alive today has known and experienced childhood, including literary writers, and are therefore more influenced by a realistic view of childhood than by an idealized view. This supports the idea that novels about childhood are not always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light, an idea adhered to in the novels "Huckleberry Finn" and "Empire of the Sun", as the childhood is presented realistically. throughout, as is the case in many novels about childhood, regardless of when they were written. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There have been many different interpretations of children and childhood throughout literature, which vary depending on when they were written. Although it can be argued that novels about childhood are not always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light, in certain periods childhood literature has been shaped by an idealistic societal view of the child. child, for example during the romantic period. At this time, the idea of ​​a "natural" childhood was brought to the fore, in favor of "rational education", which Wordsworth openly contested. It reflected society's idealistic view that children were divine or quasi-divine, born perfect and far superior to adults, only inherently corrupted by society. He presented the child in an idealistic light in works such as "There Are Seven of Us", "The Silly Boy" and "Lucy Gray", at a time when children's literature was becoming increasingly popular, for example under the form of Charles and that of Mary Lamb, “Tales of Shakespeare”, in 1807, and that of Eleanor Sleath, “Glenowen”. This idealized representation of childhood and the child in literature was established during the lifetime of Rosseau, a political philosopher and educator, who lived between 1712 and 1778. Rosseau thought that "from the moment of life, men should start learning about the merits of living; and as at the moment of birth we participate in the rights of citizenship… if there islaws for the age of maturity, there should be laws for childhood. He pioneered the idea that we are intrinsically good, but are corrupted by society, through his novel "Emile", published in 1762, and argued that a life lived with respect for nature made one more likely a virtuous life. This idealistic representation of the birth state of children influenced the literature of the Romantic era, and also in particular, the work of William Blake in "Songs of Innocence and Experience", published in 1789. He developed this idea further in detail, revealing his belief that children lose their innocence through exploitation, education and religion, a belief he expressed in his works such as "The Shepherd", "The Little Black Boy" and “The Chimney Sweep,” as well as “The Lost Little Boy.” These explorations of the child and the theme of childhood in different periods of literature suggest that novels about childhood are guilty of presenting the child in an idealistic light, but this is not always the case, and we therefore reject this idea as a permanent structure and theme of novels about childhood. First, the Augustinians believed that the child was born in sin and was by nature willful and in mortal need of discipline, an idea linked to "the fall of humanity", referring to Adam and Eve in the Bible. At that time, there was no children's literature and novels like "Robinson Crusoe" were considered didactic, suggesting that children were barely represented in literature, let alone in an idealistic light. It is obvious that "Huckleberry Finn" is a piece of literature from the Victorian era, while on the other hand, "Empire of the Sun" is from the modern era, so both are influenced by societal backgrounds different and therefore also by different societal attitudes towards children and childhood. Both happen to be set and written in a time when attitudes towards children were not idealistic, but were presented more realistically, particularly in literature. Therefore, from the Augustinian example and from these two novels, we can conclude that novels about childhood, regardless of when they were written, are not always guilty of presenting the child as an idealized day. Twain wrote "Huckleberry Finn" during the Victorian period. period, a time when children's literature was very popular, such as Lear's A Book of Nonsense and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Many writers of this era presented the child in a realistic rather than idealistic light, choosing to denounce the injustices of childhood in their poems and novels. For example, in “Jane Eyre,” from 1847, Charlotte Brontë became one of the first novelists to use a child as a protagonist, writing in the first person to explore cruelty and social attitudes toward children in that era, as well as 'with regard to education, women and social class. Presenting cruelty and unpleasant social attitudes towards children is not an idealistic portrayal of a child, but perhaps a more realistic portrayal. Charles Dickens also presents the child in his novels in a very realistic manner, exploring themes such as crime, poverty and prostitution, notably in Great Expectations and David Copperfield. Dickens fought for school and prison reform during his life, opposing child labor and using his writings to advocate for children. Therefore, he had to present the children in his childhood novels in a realistic rather than idealistic light, to achieve his agendaand its objectives. We cannot therefore say that novels about childhood are always guilty of presenting the child in an idealistic light. This is also true of “Huckleberry Finn” as a novel. Twain follows the lead of these other Victorian novels and exposes the flaws of society through his presentation of the child, consistent with many characteristics of the Victorian novel, primarily authorial intrusion, for example in "You Don't don't know about me, without you read a book called The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that's okay", in order to present Huck realistically, through the spontaneous and direct approach of a child when facing individuals and situations, due to their curious nature and their desire to build new relationships and establish facts, to present perceived intelligence, no matter how advanced their approach may seem and how little they The leader is not qualified to relay a plot or drive a story. Twain's novel "Huckleberry Finn" refutes the theory that novels about childhood are always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light, in its plot in which Huck Finn himself, the protagonist, goes on a journey trip on the river with a black man. man named Jim, encountering many obstacles and adventures along the way, while developing many aspects of his personality, particularly his moral conscience, through his contemplation of the moral rightness of Jim's freedom and noticing the influence from his friend Tom Sawyer. The plot focuses on scams, lies, murder and basic survival, which is hardly an idealized version of childhood experiences, with an "ideal" child of that era being seen and not heard, conforming to strict discipline and moral teaching. Thus, novels about childhood are not always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light, as Huck Finn is presented as living a sometimes unpleasant and uncomfortable life, fleeing society, literally, but also metaphorically, that he realizes it himself. or not. In comparison, JG Ballard's "Empire of the Sun" also neglects to present the child in an idealistic light, presenting Jim Graham realistically, in an unpleasant and uncomfortable situation, similar to how Huck is presented. However, the plot of "Empire of the Sun" obviously differs, with Jim being a young child growing up in Shanghai, separated from his parents during the war and who must learn to survive, as Huck Finn must in Twain's novel. , encountering obstacles and other characters along the way, before reuniting with his parents at the end. Like "Huckleberry Finn", this novel reflects the attitudes of the surrounding society at the time of its writing and publication, towards children, but in this case that society is set between the modern and post-modern eras of the late 20th century. century. During the modern period there was a move away from narrative realism, but this did not mean a move towards idealism, but simply a focus on the characters and their settings, which were sometimes obscure, but left it up to the protagonist to reveal one's inner feelings and thoughts in complicated and interrogative ways. Examples of modernism in literature include J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye", published in 1951, which expressed adolescent angst, confusion, sexuality and rebellion in a naturalistic manner, becoming an icon of angst and teenage rebellion, and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, which is written from Scout's point of view, retrospectively, as she recounts some of her childhood years, intrigued by a local hermit and the trial of Tom Robinson, a falsely accused black manof rape. These naturalistic approaches to the presentation of children in literature are, in fact, in my opinion more realistic, although they move away from the bonds of the stereotypical realistic narrator, because they provide insight into the minds of the characters, especially of the protagonist, revealing feelings. this would most likely be removed in an “ideal” society, in which child exploitation was explored through literature. This therefore presents the child in a realistic and stimulating light, rather than an idealistic one. Contemporary and postmodern literary eras have also focused on a subjectivism of the protagonist, turning away from external reality to examine inner states of consciousness, for example in Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye", which features a little black girl who yearns to be accepted by the white community around her, desiring blue eyes, a symbol of beauty for her. This idea of ​​naturalism is also explored in Jeanette Winterson's "Oranges Aren't the Only Fruits," published in 1985, which reveals the struggles of a young girl with lesbian tendencies within a strictly religious community. Combined with Misery Literature, a title written by booksellers to explain a genre of literature that focused on autobiographical accounts of tortured childhoods, exploring themes such as drug abuse and addiction, such as "The Ashes of Angela” by Frank McCourt and “The Wild Swans” by Jung Chang, these literary genres present a subverted vision. of the child in literature, not from an idealized point of view or in an idealized light, but from the realistic point of view of "inner space", giving a conscious image of the child's reality, rather than the idealistic vision desired by society. And so, as Twain did with regard to the society in which he wrote, although without sharing the idea of ​​authorial intrusion, Ballard chose to follow the ideas of the surrounding societal structures, revealing the childhood through a dystopian vision, dealing with themes of violence, torture, war and death, as well as the need to survive, in his novel, which is certainly not a presentation of the child in an idealized light , but rather a real presentation of Jim Graham's situation, as negative and heartbreaking as it may be. be. Therefore, it cannot be said that novels about childhood are always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light. “Huckleberry Finn” and “Empire of the Sun” are both examples of a Bildungsroman: coming-of-age novels that follow the protagonist on their journey from child to adult. Usually, at the beginning of the story, there is an emotional loss that causes the protagonist to leave, and the main conflict is between the protagonist and society. In "Huckleberry Finn", we see Huck evolve from a naive young boy, playing tricks without thinking of others and having to solve problems, revealing his immaturity and racist views, imposed by society, in the short monologue. , 'It took me fifteen minutes before I could train myself to go and humiliate myself in front of a nigger…', to a more morally conscious being, resolving: 'Well, it made me sick to see that; and I felt sorry for those poor pitiful rascals, it seemed to me that I could never feel any harshness against them in the world again,” even though he is referring to two thieves who committed crimes. The hiss of this phrase suggests a contrast between Huck's newly developed moral conscience and the sneaky, slippery nature of the thieves, almost like sly snakes among people, to use an animal image. This shows his growing compassion and ability to forgive, especially in hisstatement: “It was a terrible thing to see. Human beings can be terribly cruel to each other,” the sharp, alliterative “c” emphasizing the cruel harshness of such an act, and Huck’s recognition. This development is a creative way of realistically representing the child in literature, moving away from the idealistic view that children already have a perfect moral conscience or develop one suddenly in an instant, without making moral mistakes along the way. Likewise, we see the presentation of Jim Graham in "Empire of the Sun" as a development: of a spoiled, naive, almost selfish child, shown in his "delighted" tone, as he "mounted his cycle and J I walked through the formal, empty rooms of his house, the adjective "empty," emphasizing the loss of privilege in his life, a situation that is not at all ideal, and I thought: "The war had brought at least a little bonus", whose monosyllabic nature and personification depict the simple-mindedness and selfishness of Jim who only thinks of himself and his small victories, rather than the situation in his together, to a young teenager with a mature attitude and recognition from his parents. After the war, "Jim had wanted to explain to his parents everything he and the doctor had done together, but his mother and father had been through their own war," and in his mature reflection on his own growth, "he I felt saddened by the memory of how much he had experienced and how much he had changed. Therefore, through both novels we can clearly see that novels about childhood are not always guilty of portraying the child. in an idealistic light In terms of form and structure, "Huckleberry Finn" and "Empire of the Sun" are developed in such a way as to present the child and childhood in a realistic, and therefore non-idealistic, light. both novels are realistic novels, Twain being a pioneer of this form, while Ballard was writing at a time when this genre was already well established. The realistic novel emerged as a reaction to the writing of sentimental fantasy, characteristic of the Romantic movement. As both Twain and Ballard write as realistic novelists, it would be impossible for them to present children in an idealized light, as this would completely defeat the writer's goals: to expose society and present harsh reality. of childhood through the eyes or experiences of a child himself. In fact, both writers wrote novels influenced by their own childhoods, in order to meet their agenda in the most realistic and relevant way possible, writing about experience and not presenting children in a idealized. Although Twain does not write from a completely autobiographical point of view, it feels a bit like "Huckleberry Finn" was writing his own autobiography, for example in breaking the third wall, with "I Never Saw no one but I lied… without it being the case.” Aunt Polly, She's...and Mary,” an account of her original childhood setting, which explains the novel's original title, “The Autobiography of Huckleberry Finn.” However, some of Huck's experiences in the novel are directly linked to those of Twain as a child, such as the death of his father in 1847 and that of his brother Henry in a steamboat accident in 1858, which devastated Twain, which may have influenced his use of death as a motif in the novel, for example in "I shot that man and took him into the camp", referring to young Huck's killing of the pig , during his elaborate plan to frame his own murder, the familiar name, "comrade", showing Huck's familiarity with death. Huck even describes everything as "a silenceof death", showing the mortal nature after one's supposed death, a partial oxymoronic example of personification. Death is not an ideal state of life, nor an ideal event around which one can surround oneself, and Twain's references to death therefore allow us to reject the proposition that novels about childhood always present the child in an idealistic light. Although Twain's work is not autobiographical, Ballard's goes even further by creating a semi-autobiographical novel, drawing on more immediate experiences from his childhood, to give a realistic and non-idealistic perception of life child. Although some events are clearly fiction, there is a strong influence of memory in Ballard's novel. For example, the geographic location and setting of Jim's house reflects where Ballard himself grew up, on Amherst Avenue in the Shanghai International Colony, and experienced the war in a camp, as the did Jim Graham, but not separated from his parents, or at least not for long. In the same way that Twain was influenced by death, Ballard was devastated by the death of his wife Helen in 1964, after approximately eleven years of marriage and three children together. This most likely influenced his constant references to death in "Empire of the Sun", as in the gruesome images: "A burial mound rose from the wild sugar cane at its center, and rotten coffins protruded from the loose earth like a chest. drawers", a simplistic comparison, which presents not only the common nature of death and exposure to it for Jim as a child, a very unidealistic version of childhood, being as common as a furniture in Jim's house, but also Jim's childish expression of such death. This, combined with the metaphor and hyperbole: "In many ways these skeletons were more alive than the peasants who had briefly occupied their bones", shows the predominance of death in Jim's life, so much so that he is almost desensitized to this idea. This, which is hardly an idealized state for a child. And since these two novels agree, we can say that novels about childhood, no matter when they were written or set, do not always present the child in an idealized light. The structure of the two novels emphasizes the realistic and naturalistic representation of the child. Huck and Jim Graham. These children are both placed in plausible situations, with Huck fleeing society and his “family” and Jim Graham, conversely, suffering while separated from his family and finding substitute father and mother figures. Both characters also have realistic reactions, for example, Huck struggles morally with himself, asking the naive but carefully considered rhetorical question: "What's the point of learning to do good when it's hard to do right?" fine and it's not a problem. do evil, and the pay is the same? which also uses alliteration, to present his moral argument on whether or not to turn Jim in or help him become free, and Jim Graham presents a childish point of view, expected of a frightened child and lonely without direction, "He was sure that she would come out of this dark corner like the Christmas fairy and tell him that the war was over", which is a simile, the delicate image of the "Christmas fairy", contrasting and juxtaposing with the "dark cubby", a description that creates an ominous tone. The plausible situations and deliberate but predictable reactions show the realistic reactions a child might have in these situations, not the idealized version, where he resolves his actions. problems and does the right thing from the start, on his own. Therefore, these examples support the idea that the.Novels about childhood are not always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light. Both novels are also episodic in nature, with Twain notably choosing a picaresque structure, focusing primarily on a sympathetic thug and his exploits. (Huck) “Empire of the Sun” is also picaresque in nature to some extent, but “Huckleberry Finn” is more so. The episodic nature of the two novels, however, allows for insight into many different aspects, interests, and experiences of the children's lives, including their curious, unfocused focus on one event, as well as the important influence of a certain number of events in the construction of a mature person, which is a much more realistic presentation of the child than an immediate or sudden transformation, or a child who presents qualities of maturity from the start, which is a idealized presentation of the child. However, since both Twain and Ballard present a realistic rather than an idealistic picture of childhood, we can confidently say that novels about childhood are not always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light. This fact is particularly true in that Twain, in choosing the picaresque structure, could very easily have made his novel idyllic and idealized, but instead he chose not to do so, in effect making the raft on which Huck and Finn travel almost ideally in their situation, for example, in the complacent, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, “we… let [the raft] float where the current wanted it; then we lit the pipes, and swung our legs in the water, and talked about all sorts of things," and according to Huck's admission, "Other places seem so cramped and stuffy, but not a raft. You feel very free, at ease and at ease on a raft,” which uses positive adjectives associated with the raft, while upholding the image of the shore as menacing through juxtaposition and association with danger and threat surrounding the shore, for example. in the direct speech and imperative language of: "The boys both jumped towards the river - both wounded - and as they swam in the current, the men ran along the bank shouting 'Kill them, kill them! » which creates a threatening tone. This is an example of the raft-shore dichotomy. Therefore, we cannot say that the novels are about this. Childhood is always guilty of presenting the child in an idealized light, whereas Twain presents Huck among the threats and dangers of the region and times in which he lives. Both Twain and Ballard carefully developed their characterization in presenting their protagonists, who are Huck Finn and Jim Graham respectively, in order to portray the child in a realistic rather than an idealized light. Children were only featured as protagonists in Victorian-era novels, with Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" being an early pioneer of this technique. Twain presents Huck as flawed: a young boy who is sometimes selfish, who is sometimes a thug with racist prejudices, a far cry from the ideal child. We see Huck's racist thinking in the racist insults and the derogatory tone of his language: "And then think of ME!" It was rumored everywhere that Huck Finn had helped a Negro gain his freedom; and if I ever saw anyone from this town again, I would be ready to lick their boots in shame. Whether or not this is his own thinking or an example of society's corrupting influence on the child, Twain presents Huck in a realistic rather than idealistic light, because the ideal child would have rejected the prejudices of society itself and showed love towards everyone without prompting. We also see his desire to rebel, in his negative tone towards "The WidowDouglas…[who], if she "sivilizes" him, which is a realistic representation of a child's attitude toward refinement and reform, and so we can see further that Huck is not presented in a idealized day. Thus, we cannot say that novels about children are always guilty of presenting the child in an idealistic light, as Twain does not do in this case, but rather presents Huck in a realistic light. In the same spirit as Twain, Ballard also presents Jim Graham as selfish, just like Huck, and self-centered. They are both seen lying and manipulating people for their own benefit, which is not an image of the ideal child, but certainly a realistic one. The unpleasant side of Jim Graham manifests itself in his selfishness and greed in his instinct for self-preservation when "he knew he was right to drink the first water himself", the adverb "first", showing his contempt for others, a realistic and non-idealistic presentation of the child. Therefore, we can see that in "Huckleberry Finn" and "Empire of the Sun" the child is presented in a realistic rather than an idealistic light, and therefore it cannot be said that novels about childhood, independently du when written or staged, are always guilty of presenting the child in an idealistic light. “Huckleberry Finn” is written in the first person narrative, while “Empire of the Sun” is written in the third person narrative. However, the choice of Twain and Ballard's narrative point of view allows the child to be presented in a realistic rather than an idealistic light, proving that novels about childhood are not always guilty of presenting the child in a idealized. Twain's use of the first person narrator allows us to hear not only what Huck says, but also what he thinks, through interior monologue, for example his moral crisis is described in: "...he WAS very free – and who was responsible for it. ? Why, ME. I couldn't get it out of my consciousness, how or in any way. It began to disturb me to the point that I could not rest..." and in the personified dialogue, "come to consciousness and say, each time: 'But you knew he was running for his freedom, and you could paddle to 'down and tell someone. » The reader can see that Huck is far from ideal because his moral conscience is not tuned to fairness and justice, but to the opinions of society; opinions that he would knowingly consider and reject, without adhering to, if he were to be presented in an idealistic light. Thus, Twain does not present Huckleberry Finn in an idealistic light, but rather a realistic one, revealing the naivety of a child's inner thoughts and moral decisions. On the other hand, although Ballard chooses to use Jim Graham as a third-person narrator, the events of the novel are described from Jim's point of view, and we can still hear his thoughts, like Huck's, but inaudibly. An example of this is Jim's hope, "that his parents were safe", an ironic juxtaposition, and when, "Once, without realizing it, he found himself eating the watery mush." Jim felt uneasy and looked at his hands guiltily. The distorted shape of Jim's mind and the adjectives "worried" and "guilty" allow us to see Jim's moral conscience. This, along with Huck's moral struggle, shows us that although both characters, as children, have a conscience, they often do not do the right thing in every situation, or think the right thing, which which is a realistic presentation of children, and therefore hardly idealistic, because they separate themselves from the idealized light through these presentations, especially in our minds.