Everyone has his or her own opinion of society. Some opinions are negative, others positive. In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, Mark Twain clearly expresses his opinion through the characters in the story. Whether it be through Huck, Jim, Miss Watson, Widow Douglas, or even the King and the Duke, Twain uses each character to show different parts of society. Mainly he displays his words through each individual character to show the reader how he views society and civilization himself. Twain implies a more negative perspective of society throughout the book, But also shows some positive views as well.
The beginning of the book starts out with Huck being taken in by the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. These two ladies try to shove manners and obedience down Huck's throat, especially Miss Watson. Huck claims he does not want to be “sivilized” he has no respect for Miss Wataon because she is rude to him and is too pushy. One would think that Huck would be grateful that someone took him in and fed him, but he would rather live in the woods than be trapped in a house with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson."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 had 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 132) Huck had never been taught much of anything so he does not understand why the Widow Douglas is putting so much emphasis on someone who is deceased. This goes to show that society at the time was to raise a child up with discipline and manners. If the child did not listen, the parent or gaurdian did not back down. Children did ...
... middle of paper ...
...ith the characters. However, there were also parts that were light hearted and funny. Regardless if the parts were funny or not, Twain wanted readers to find a little of themselves in Huck. Huck represents a confused person that does not know which road to go down half the time. Everyone feels that way at one point in their life. This is why Twain incorporates different aspects of society into the novel. Once Huck realizes the kind of person he wants to be, he starts to become even more brave than he already was. Twain wants the readers to connect with story, and he also wants to challenge the reader to find the Huck in themselves.
Works Cited
Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. 130-309. Print.
In the beginning of the novel, Huck tends to have an immature side to him. There are some things in the beginning that show that Huck still has a very childish side to him. "They get down on one thing when they don't know nothing about it." (Twain 2) This is showing the ignorance and stubbornness that all children experience throughout life. He thinks as if everything he does is right and everyone else is wrong. "That all comes of my being such a fool as to not remember that wherever you leave a dead snake its mate always comes there and curls around it." (Twain 40) This goes one step further. This shows Huck's Immaturity and Stupidity gone one step too far when he puts the snake in Jim's bed and he ends up getting bit by it. If Huck was more mature and less childish he wouldn't have been playing this so called joke on Jim. Huck learns that jokes have a limit to them at times and need to be thought out more clearly.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is about the great adventures that Huck finn has with his slave Jim on the Missouri River. The story tells not only about the adventures Huck has, but more of a deeper understanding of the society he lives in. Twain had Huck born into a low class society of white people; his father was a drunken bum and his mother was dead. He was adopted by the widow Douglas who tried to teach him morals, ethics, and manners that she thought fit in a civilized society. Huck never cared for these values and ran away to be free of them. During Huck’s adventure with Jim he unknowingly realized that he didn't agree with society’s values and could have his own assumptions and moral values. Twain uses this realization to show how the civilized and morally correct social values that was introduced to Huck was now the civilized and morally contradicting values.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is the narrator. The character of Huck Finn was very different than the society that he was born into. Mr. Twain uses Huck’s open mindedness as a window to let humor and the book’s points and morals shine through. Huck always takes things very literally. This not only adds to the humor of the book, but it also lets some of the books deeper messages come through. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, traces the story of a young man, Huck Finn, from conformity to the Southern way of thinking, to his own ideas about religion, wealth and slavery.
Twain uses Huck to show the readers how living under an authoritative figure causes one to conform to the ideals and beliefs created by society. He proves to the readers, that while under the care of adults, Huck is forced to follow rules and is limited in his own freedoms. However, in the setting of nature, Twain explains how Huck has more liberties and is free to live his life as he pleases, including “shameful” activities such as befriending Jim. As the story unravels, Twain emphasizes to the audience that society is the cause of one to conform and that action should be taken to permit more liberties and uniqueness within
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." SparkNotes Mobile Web Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Mark Twain is phenomenal at subtly implementing his own beliefs into his writing, and into the heads of his methodical characters. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Twain implies many themes from that time period into his writing. As he does so, he plants one of the most important themes into the head of the young character of Huckleberry Finn. That theme is moral and government laws. This theme drives the story, creates personal conflict, and makes Huck see the world through new eyes. Twain did this by using one character to influence Huck many times throughout the novel, by showing Huck what morals are good and bad from an honest man’s view. Twain chose to make this character one who has no sense of hatred, but only a shear want for freedom. What Twain has put into the text made Huck evolve; it was the kind hearted Jim. Mark Twain streamed many believes though Jim to Huck; this is how and what is being streamed.
...t the end of the book Huck even feels compassion for people that do not deserve it. He witnesses the duke and king being tarred and feathered. Despite the fact that these men played dirty tricks on him Huck still feels pity for them. “It was a dreadful thing to see. Humans beings can be awful cruel to one another.” (208) Mark Twain is essentially questioning the reader to examine their set of beliefs and decide which ones they actually believe, and which ones should be abandoned just as Huck did with Miss Watson’s beliefs and Pap’s beliefs.
Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through much criticism and denunciation has become a well-respected novel. Through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old boy, Huckleberry Finn, Twain illustrates the controversy of racism and slavery during the aftermath of the Civil War. Since Huck is an adolescent, he is vulnerable and greatly influenced by the adults he meets during his coming of age. His expedition down the Mississippi steers him into the lives of a diverse group of inhabitants who have conflicting morals. Though he lacks valid morals, Huck demonstrates the potential of humanity as a pensive, sensitive individual rather than conforming to a repressive society. In these modes, the novel places Jim and Huck on pedestals where their views on morality, learning, and society are compared.
In the beginning of the story, Huck seems to feel at ease to be with his father instead of being with the widow, "It was kind of lazy and jolly, lying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no book nor study." (Twain 24) Yet, Hucks' father is not exactly the father figure a child would want. He's an abusive, "But by and by Pap got to handy with his hick'ry and I couldn't stand it. I was all over welts." (Twain 24) and he's not thoughtful of Huck. Once Huck figures his father is crazed and is an alcoholic, Twain, through Huck's eyes, gives readers a feeling of fear towards Huck's father. "There was Pap looking wild, and skipping around every which way and yelling about snakes. He said they was crawling up his legs." (Twain 28) "Then he went down on all fours and crawled off, begging them to let him alone, and he rolled imself up in his blanket and wallowed in under the old pine table, still a-begging; and then he went to crying." (29)
...cal Edition, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, An Authoritative Text Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. Ed. and Trans. Sculley Bradley, Richmond Croom Beaty, E. Hudson Long, and Thomas Cooley. New York: Norton, 1977. 328-335.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so much more than just a teen’s novel. Through Twain’s harsh language reflective of the times and location and the use of characters Twain showed how much the thinking of the majority of people in the Deep South fought progression. Mark Twain use of Miss Watson, pap, the duke and the king and others to show just how many thoughts and traditions where opposed to seeing “blacks” as equals. Through Jim, Twain showed that “blacks” are people / equals. And, in Huck, Twain showed how a logical person could progress, despite the views and morals of the Deep South, to see “blacks” equals. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn succeeded in exposing the Deep South for what it really was; highly prejudice and extremely reluctant to change.
As Huck takes the reader through each episode of the book, he does not perceive any kind of humor in the word devices he uses. He takes them quite seriously and is portrayed as a naive character to the reader. Mr. Twain has purposely given the readers reason to believe he is mocking the characters in the book with this audacious
Tom Sawyer is a mischievous young man that undermines adult authority. Tom always wants to go on new adventures and explore new things. Tom did play hookey, and he had a very good time (Twain 3). Huckleberry Finn is the son of the town drunk. Huck is a free sprite, he does as he pleases and no one in the town makes him do anything he does not want to do. Samuel Clemens writes about many experiences throughout Tom and Huck’s adventures that were actually real life adventures of his.
James, Pearl. “Overview of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” EXPLORING Novels. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2008. Print.