Well, it's an adventure story, and a Bildungsroman, of course, but there was also the intention to describe a culture that had been seen in rather narrow terms.
“It's always been my feeling that God lends you your children until they're about eighteen years old. If you haven't made your points with them by then, it's too late.”
“The man who is fond of books is usually a man of lofty thought, and of elevated opinions.”