The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain follows the story of a young white boy, Huckleberry Finn, as he travels down the Mississippi River. Twain uses the experiences of Huck as he travels down the river to comment on society. His opinions of many topics are given by satirizing other characters or events. An element this satire that twain uses is the depiction of the characters in a humorous manner. Throughout the novel the use of this satire is clear and express Twain’s opinions on American culture in the antebellum period. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an effective piece of satire on American culture during the 1800s. Twain satirizes feuding, Pseudo-intellectualism and Greed in his story.…
During the mid-1800’s there was many “imperfections” in the world, and Samuel Clemens better known as Mark Twain decided to write a book to ridicule some problems concerning religion, greed, civilization, romantic literature, and Melodramatic art. Huckleberry Finn goes on a very complex and intense journey which helps him build a perspective on life as opposed to the ones dictated by those older than him. Throughout Huck encounters situations with problems that mimic actual problems in Twain’s world. Twain makes them look extremely pointless and senseless.…
Huckleberry Finn is a novel set in the rural south of the United States during a period in history when slavery and racism were part of everyday life. The novel introduces two main characters: Huck Finn, an adventurous but naïve, white boy, and Jim, a runaway slave whom is travelling with Huck down the Mississippi River. Throughout the course of the novel, both characters are faced with their individual internal struggles; Huck in particular is faced with the pressing notion of whether or not he should turn Jim in to his rightful owner and do the “right” thing, or disobey the law and help Jim obtain his freedom. Being nothing more than a foolish and naïve boy, Huck does not know the meaning of true love and friendship, until Jim opens up to him and they begin to bond no longer as white boy and black slave, but as humans.…
First and foremost, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn elucidates the treatment of African Americans during the Southern antebellum. A succinct and ideal model of the treatment is when Tom’s aunt asked if anybody was hurt if a steamboat accident fabricated by Huck, who is pretending to be Tom, to explain why he was late, Huck states “‘No’m. Killed a nigger’” (Twain 328). The statement insinuates that African Americans at the time were not considered as human beings; rather, African Americans were considered as individuals that are subhuman. In the latter parts of the book, after Jim, a runaway slave, helps the doctor treat Tom, who was shot in the leg, “[The men] all agreed that Jim had acted very well, and was deserving to have some notice took of it, and reward. So every one of them promised, right out and hearty, that [the men] wouldn’t cuss him no more” (Twain 423). This so-called “reward”, is something most, if not all of the audience already has as a right, suggesting that Jim is considered a subhuman since he has to be rewarded with a right that many already have. Twain utilizes a plethora of actions to…
In Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn, nearly every person Huck encountered displayed extreme racism and many owned slaves. Mrs Watson owned Jim, who she planned to sell him, separating him from his family. Pap stated that, “it was 'lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if...but when they told me there was a State in this country where they'd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I'll never vote agin” (Twain 27). Since every major influence in Huck’s life had similar belief, he displayed this behavior at times as well. For example, when Huck played a mean-spirited prank on Jim, he stated that “it was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger” (Twain 87). At one point, Huck wrote a letter to Mrs. Watson stating that Jim had run away and was being held by the Phelps, as he felt extremely…
The color of their skin and their actions have no connection. Throughout the novel, Huck begins to realize that blacks and whites are the same on the inside. Twain brings out the ugliness in the society through Huck. It is shown that Jim and the many other slaves should not be treated as property, but as equals. It is brought to attention that the society views racism as just a way of life and not a serious issue, although through a little boy, Twain shows that when you’re open-minded there is no diversity between black and white. Overall, Twain does not feel sorrowful towards the slaves, but almost challenges the society to resolve…
was merely part of the vernacular of Southern culture during the 1800's not a cacophonous wordand not strictly a racist term. It further illustrates that twain recognized the evils of racism.As shown in the drunken charter of pap. Huck Finn was abused by his father allthroughout his childhood. He lived in constant fear of his surroundings (occasionally even beingincarcerated in a shed for days) and didn't lead an exactly normal life. When he finally decides toget out of his predicament and stages his own death, he meets up with Jim on Jackson's island.When Huck first meets Jim on the Island he makes a monumental decision, not to turn Jim in.Two opposing forces, the force of society and the force of his personal conscience confront him.He is forced to decide whether turning Jim in is the right thing to do. The law tells him that hemust betray his friend, but his conscience tells him to question this law. He chooses, as he doesmany other times in the book, to continue helping Jim to obtain his freedom despite the fact thatit seems immoral to him. Many times, throughout the novel, Huck comes very close torationalizing Jim's slavery. However, he is never able to see a reason why this man, who has become one of his only friends, should be a slave. Through this internal struggle, Twainexpresses his opinions of the absurdity of slavery and the importance of following one's personalconscience before the laws of society. By the end of the novel, Huck and the reader have come tounderstand that Jim is not someone's property and an inferior man, but an equal. Which is ironic because in the beginning of the book Huck thought blacks were almost stupid-like “(p. 6) Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark…Jim was ruined” But, in the end Huck realizes he could never betray his friend, Jim, who has risked his life for Huck and who has become the closest friend Huck ever had and will ever have.Another time Twain demonstrates the immorality of slavery is during…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a book about the injustice of slavery and racism in the South. The novel details the experiences of Huck Finn, a thirteen year old white boy, and Jim, a black slave, who each escape in search of freedom. While Huck is escaping from a drunk, abusive father, Jim is escaping from slavery in order to prevent his owner from selling him. There is much debate over whether or not the book is racist. While many believe that Huckleberry Finn is a racist text due to the overuse of racial comments and inappropriate language throughout the novel, Huckleberry Finn is actually not racist because the book is about a boy who overcomes his racist upbringing by becoming acquainted with a slave.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain in 1884 is a classic example of American literature. It depicts the bond of a fourteen-year old boy and a runaway slave’s as they venture up the Mississippi River with hopes of finding better lives in the free North during the pre-Civil War era. One of the common criticism of the novel is Huck Finn is too wise beyond his years. Twain purposely depicted Huck to be this mature to attempt to change the American society through his art.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an important novel that shows how the two worlds of Huck and Jim collide to bring out the problems of racism and slavery before the civil war. Huck was a young, naive boy who is oblivious to the outside world. Jim was a slave with a big heart who looked at the world in a whole different perspective. Throughout the journey together Huck and Jim’s relationship was shaken by the cold reality of racism and slavery, thus slowly opening Huck's eyes to the world around him and creating a new foundation for friendship. When Jim and Huck go on their journey outside of St.Petersburg, Missouri a whole new world was opened up to them, they saw the country like never before.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most loved novels in American literature. Due to its popularity, there are a lot critiques and analyses of the work, especially of Huck and his development. But in all the analyses of Huck, people have neglected to appreciate one of the most important protagonists in American literature, Jim. Without Jim's guidance for Huck, Huck's journey would have failed. In Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim plays the role of a father to Huck by providing for his physical, emotional, and moral well-being.…
Racism is one of the most crucial themes in the novel as it exploits the physical and mentally abuse black people receive from white slaveholders. At the beginning of the novel, Huck buys himself into racial stereotypes when he says, “Jim was most ruined, for a servant, because he got so stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches”(Twain 5). Huck points out Jim’s stupidity and makes fun of him for having, “seen the devil and been rode by witches,” as a way to poke fun at Jim’s stupidity. As the novel progresses, Huck’s opinion of Jim completely changes from not only classifying Jim as a black slave, but also acknowledging the fact that Jim is human and, “he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n”(Twain 117).…
Considering that Mark Twain is a revolutionary writer and must use detail from an era to make the story unique he shouldn’t be considered racist. Their time period is set around the Civil War which was fought for abolishment of slavery. Huck to some people would be the argument for Twain’s racism, but Huck was raised from a boy by people with extreme hatred towards blacks such like Pap and Miss Watson. Even if bigotry was part of Huck’s attitude towards blacks it should be excused. Towards the end of the novel Huck encounters Aunt Sally who makes a remark towards blacks. She remarked that thank god no one was hurt but it was okay if a black person was. This is just a fine example of the extremities that Huck was raised under and the society’s views towards blacks. Twain is merely revealing the harsh truth of society in a subtle tone. It is also important to remember that Mark Twain’s description of Jim was not being racist but honest. Back in their era majority of black slaves were non-educated, ignorant, never allowed independence, and were maltreated. Twain was merely using the historical accuracy to his advantage in the novel for a heightened impact.…
Mark Twain shows the reader how the institution of slavery is morally wrong by using racism, human inequality, and the encroaching on personal freedom. In the beginning, Huck treats Jim like nothing but property in the novel. Later throughout the story he treats Jim with care. Huck helps show his love for Jim when he lies to Jim about being lost in the fog and telling Jim that he had ‘“dreamt it, because there didn’t any of that happen” (Twain 86). Because Huck cares for Jim, he eventually tells the truth and sets it right between them. Another example is when Huck is trying to explain the Solemn and The Baby story to Jim, but he “see it weren’t no use wasting words, you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quit” (Twain 104). Even though Huck likes Jim as a friend, Twain still makes him use his stereotypical southern morals to express his frustration for Jim. Twain shows that Huck wants to help Jim, but he is struggling because he is not sure if he should listen to his conscience or the law. Eventually Huck decides to help Jim. Twain uses Jim to show the theft of the most basic human right, freedom. Jim is the perfect example of how slavery can steal or take away the human ownership of a life. It also strips them of human rights. Miss.Watson and all of southern society is satirized as the racist, strict, and crude ideal that “sees her nigger go right off and under her eyes and…
Throughout the story of Huck Finn, written by Mark Twain, we see many pieces of character development shown through racism, discrimination, and making choices that could affect one’s morality. Huck’s view of Jim changes throughout the story. He goes from thinking Jim is just a slave to thinking that the way of modern society is completely wrong and doesn’t attempt to delve deeper and find more out about the black people that they would enslave.…