Journey is a passage between places or circumstances that offers insight, experiences, cultures and perspectives, either positive or negative.

It consists of barriers or challenges overcome before a final goal is reached. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, an episodic novel written by Mark Twain and The Rabbit Proof Fence, a film about the stolen generation directed by Phillip Noyce both offer profound insight into the area of study the journey, not the arrival, matters . Journeys force characters to rethink their outlook on life as they grow and develop as a consequence of overcoming obstacles and limitations, both internally and externally.

Huck, almost without noticing, overcomes racist attitudes and allows his friendship with Nigger Jim to grow. When Huck first discovers Jim is on the run, he says theyre after us and in doing so unifies himself with Jim as a fellow fugitive. At the start of their adventure, Jim is seen merely as a social stereotype who can be easily tricked and whose feeling need not be considered. But after a playing a trick on Jim leaves Huck feeling guilty, he is forced to apologize. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger, but I done it, and I warnt ever sorry for it afterward, neither. The apologetic, guilty tone created by first person narration gives the reader insight into Hucks emotions and expresses a building bond between Jim and himself. The journey is a unifying experience that allows Huck to recognise a common humanity with Jim. The bonds of friendship that develop on their voyage enable both of them to mature and grow in terms of self-awareness and knowledge.

The Mississippi river in Mark Twains picaresque tale becomes motif of freedom on Huck and Jims journey. Life on the raft juxtaposes the corruption and exploitation that is life in civilised towns. Twains writing reflects this juxtaposition as his writing style when Huck is o n the shore has a fast, exciting pace to it while when Huck is on the river the pace of the writing slows down and has a more relaxed feel. Once or twice a night we would see a steam boat slipping along in the dark, and now and then she would belch a whole world of sparks up out of her chimpleys. This personification illuminates the freedom and sense of calm experienced on the river and reflects Hucks growing maturity. The river offers opportunity for Huck to digest events and learn from them.

Both texts offer up a realistic portrayal of the social injustices of the times, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn it is the enslavement and prejudice against coloured people and in Rabbit proof Fence it is the dis-regard of aboriginal culture. Each text relies on the innocent perspective of the young protagonists to convey the journey, which allows the audience to reach their own moral conclusions. When the girls first arrive at Moore River, they are presented with clothes that are uniform for all the children there. In native tongue, Grace says clothes to her cousins. The nun who gave them the clothes is quick to say this is your new home. We dont use that jabber here. You speak English. Through this dialogue, the disregard of aboriginal culture is made i mmediately apparent as

the girls are made to feel shameful about their culture. The use of two different languages clearly defines the clash of cultures. Molly realizes that they dont belong and realizes the need for the journey home.

A strong sense of connection between Molly and her mother is felt throughout Rabbit Proof Fence. A Mid shot of Molly and Daisy grasping the fence and looking north cuts to a tilt shot of the fence, from bottom to top, held by Maude her mother, who looks south. This cuts to a close up of girls' hands grasping the fence, pushing and pulling it. The fence here is a tangible link between mother and daughters and a metaphorical lifeline from a situation of danger to the safety of home. The background of the shot of Molly and Daisy shows the harsh barren land which is unsympathetic to their plight and is one of their biggest obstacles on their journey home. Molly is forced to develop out of the role of being an older sister and into a more parental role as she is responsible for her sisters safe return home to their waiting mother.

From the time the girls run away from Moore River and begin their journey back to Jigalong, they constantly under threat of being caught by the tracker Moodoo. The sound effects reflect this and build a feeling of suspense and unrest. The desert scene starts when the girls come over a crest and see an endless desert plain and the fence, their only tangible link to their destination, vanishes. The sound effects change from building and suspenseful to hopeless and ghostly. The diegetic sounds of exhausted breathing, weak and exhausted footsteps are backed by low pitched indigenous music which has a siren like sound. The change in sound creates a hopeless atmosphere and makes it the only scene in the movie where the viewer truly doubts the girls getting home. The indigenous backing music adds depth and authenticity to the story while reflecting the cultural background of the girls. The scene becomes silent when Molly and Daisy both collapse from exhaustion, as the obstacles of the journey seem too hard to overcome. Despite the strength both characters have already gained, they are both temporarily defeated.

Twain and Noyce have both been successful in portraying journeys and challenging the audiences moral views. As a result of their Journeys, the characters in each text have grown and developed. It is only from growth and development we gain from long journeys that we truly appreciate our own identity and the identities of the people around us.