Satire In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn

" Never ever depend on governments or institutions to solve any major problems. All social change comes from the passion of individuals," (Margaret Mead). Huck Finn, the main character of " Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," must decide to follow his idea of what is right or the ideas of those around him. Throughout the novel, Huck decides to put faith in his beliefs rather than social institutions. Mark Twain uses satire to criticize social institutions.

Mark Twain uses satire to criticize religion. "After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses ad been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people," (Twain, 12). Mark Twain criticizes
" You take a man dat's got on'y one or two chillen; is dat man gwyne be wasteful o' chillen? No, he ain't ; he can't 'ford it. He knows how to value 'em. But you take a man dat's got 'bout five million chillen runnin' roun' de house, en it's diffunt. He as soon chop a chile in two as a cat. Dey's plenty mo'. A chile er two, mo' er less, warn't no consekens to Sollermun, dad fetch him," (Twain, 89). Jim explains that slave owners do not value the slaves lives because they own so many of them. Just as King Solomon had no problem threatening to cut the child in half, slave owners abuse their slaves by whipping and beating them. Just because something is socially acceptable, does not mean it is right.

Mark Twain uses satire to criticize religion, racism, the "ideal family", and slavery. Throughout "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" Huck continually makes the decision to follow his idea of right rather than social institutions. Mark Twain shows the faults of human nature through his writing. He also shows how people can contradict themselves by saying something is wrong but doing it