Huckleberry Finn Criticism
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 Reconstruction Era of the United States was a difficult time in American history. Tensions were still high between the North and the South, and the newly freed slaves and their former masters. It was not uncommon to see racially driven violence to occur
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To Huck, for a majority of the novel, Jim was seen as Mrs. Watson’s property and Jim was incapable of emotions and it would be fine if he was sold away from his family. It was not until the last half of the novel did Huck see humanity in Jim. Huck recalled that Jim “was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so. He was often moaning and mourning that way nights, when he judged I was asleep, and saying, "Po' little '! po' little Johnny! it's mighty hard; I spec' I ain't ever gwyne to see you no mo', no mo'!" He was a mighty good nigger, Jim was” (Twain 152). Twain hoped that his would provide seeds for an equality movement between African-American and the white Southerners. Twain wanted peace after years of fighting, so by adding human qualities to Jim and creating a strong relationship between Huck and Jim, the peace would possibly come through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
During chapter twenty-six, Huck made major advances to his maturity. It was the first time Huck acted on his conscience by trying to keep the Wilks’ family slaves together. Huck recalled that he could not “get it out of my memory, the sight of them poor miserable girls and niggers hanging around each other's necks and crying” (Twain 170) because neither the Wilks’ sisters nor the slave family wanted the slaves to be parted. This is a pivotal moment in the novel because Huck sees owners care for their slaves and that slaves have families similar to their
To Huck, for a majority of the novel, Jim was seen as Mrs. Watson’s property and Jim was incapable of emotions and it would be fine if he was sold away from his family. It was not until the last half of the novel did Huck see humanity in Jim. Huck recalled that Jim “was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so. He was often moaning and mourning that way nights, when he judged I was asleep, and saying, "Po' little '! po' little Johnny! it's mighty hard; I spec' I ain't ever gwyne to see you no mo', no mo'!" He was a mighty good nigger, Jim was” (Twain 152). Twain hoped that his would provide seeds for an equality movement between African-American and the white Southerners. Twain wanted peace after years of fighting, so by adding human qualities to Jim and creating a strong relationship between Huck and Jim, the peace would possibly come through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
During chapter twenty-six, Huck made major advances to his maturity. It was the first time Huck acted on his conscience by trying to keep the Wilks’ family slaves together. Huck recalled that he could not “get it out of my memory, the sight of them poor miserable girls and niggers hanging around each other's necks and crying” (Twain 170) because neither the Wilks’ sisters nor the slave family wanted the slaves to be parted. This is a pivotal moment in the novel because Huck sees owners care for their slaves and that slaves have families similar to their