Huckleberry Finn
...is often true with relatives, the viewpoints of each may differ, but in some cases such as Huck and Janie’s, the opinions vary so much that the relative could not possibly be a successful mentor to Huck or Janie. Huck’s father was a drunk who was not only a horrible example for Huck, but also a dangerous man who attempted to kill Huck at one point. Janie’s Grandmother was not physically dangerous like Huck’s father, but was just as harmful mentally. Janie’s grandmother was constantly telling Janie that love was non-existent and that marriage was simply a material thing, not emotional. Not only did this conflict with Janie’s hopes for true love, but eventually it came back and destroyed her by causing her marriage to Joe. After the by-birth mentors, both of them were assigned to mentors who were supposed to be the right person for them. Huck was given to the two widows, one who was very kind and the other who was very proper, which may have satisfied others, but Huck wanted to find someone who made him happy and he could trust to guide him thru the rest of his life. The same is true of Janie, who was given to Joe. Another woman in that time would have been happy with Joe, but Janie was not looking for the powerful male husband, she wanted someone she could love and who loved her. This shows that the best person to guide someone as a mentor is not the person that everyone else would be happy with. The widows and Joe were acceptable people for others, but were not able to give Huck and Janie happiness. Both Huck and Janie found the person that they could truly be happy with, and the new mentors were not likely candidates for the position. Jim, a runaway Negro slave, was of a much lower class than Huck, a rich white child, but Huck still was able to find the wonderful person and father figure that Jim truly was. During the entire novel, Jim was always there to guide Huck and be depended upon, such as when Jim found Huck’s father on the boat, but protected Huck from this horrible sight. Janie found her true love and mentor in Teacake, who was able to bring Janie up to the higher soci...