Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection, which is the examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings, and is also one's capability to distinguish itself as an individual that is separate from the environment and other individuals. In the ‘’The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’’ and ‘’The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood’’ self-awareness proves to have a great impact on the characters decisions. Furthermore, despite the differences found in the novels, both authors use similar conflicts to prove that following one's inner moral compass plays a more significant role than following the rules of society.
To begin, throughout both novels, the authors present many different themes; however the most significant in each story line…show more content… Here readers see how Huck’s conscience is modified by societal values and how the powerful ethical compulsion in Huck is genuinely personal, and has not been contaminated by the hypocrisies of the community as his conscience has been. Huck’s act of rebellion of lying to the men, saves Jim's life which demonstrates how Huck’s sense of morality overcame the pressures he felt to follow societal norms. Next, in “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood”, Maid Marian -Robin Hood’s lover- who is a descendent of royalty, risks her own life more than once in order to save Robin. Sir Guy -Prince John's loyal adviser- to Maid Marian,“How did Locksley and his men arrange his escape... from hanging after the archery match? Someone here in the castle must have got word to him.” (Pyle 23). When the author first describes Maid Marian during the beginning of the story, one first sees her as a conformist to the unjust ways of society. Being that she’s of royal descent and is very sheltered from the real world, she is very naive and ignorant towards the suffering of the peasants; however, once Robin helps her understand the meaning of why he steals from the rich and gives to the poor, she quickly rebels alongside him and the rest of the outlaws and even goes against her own people to defend the innocent and voiceless. She chooses to go against Prince John who is a symbol of societal principles in order to save Robin Hood, who is