Huck FInn

The Defining Moment

A defining moment can mean many different things to many different people. There are many different moments within the different short stories and novels that I have read in the last few weeks that stand out as potential defining moments. In the short story A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett the defining moment is fairly simple to find and for the most part the author is clear that this moment is the intended defining moment. The novel, The Adventures of Huck Finn by Mark Twain is less clear about the intended defining moment in fact the author goes so far as to tell the reader that if they persist in attempting to find a moral or motive in the novel they will be punished. Which in essence tell the reader that the novel is purely intended for entertainment (later critics will ignore these remarks). The last novel I will reference to is The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. This novel unlike the others consists of several complex characters. These ch...