Challenging Ideologies in 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'

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The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn introduces readers to a variety of ideologies plaguing the minds of Americans during the mid-1800 's. Written during a time where slavery remained an issue in the south, the novel provides insight into a young man 's mind as he comes to understand and question the ideologies of his southern society. Through his interactions with a vast variety of characters, Huck resolves on his own definitions of right and wrong after giving up on the definition society expects him to accept. Mark Twain 's attention to the society of which Huck Finn is based as well as how he wrote the characters of the novel suggest he believed there were serious flaws in how that society saw people; therefore, the novel Huck Finn …show more content…

For example, Tom 's tendency to treat people as a means to provide entertainment for himself is an example of the commodification in Huck Finn, and the manner in which Huck grows to question Tom 's authority represents Huck 's acknowledgment that people should not be used carelessly. Perhaps the greatest example of commodification, however, can be seen in The Duke and the King who truly represent the capitalist ideology. Huck describes them as conmen, and soon after being introduced learns he 's not far off. The Duke and the King successfully rip of towns with false advertising and fake shows, all in the name of acquiring wealth and popularity. Twain appears to criticize their behavior, however, as well as their values through the eyes of Huck. For example, Huck notes that "they ain 't agoing to leave till they 've played this family and this town for all they 're worth" (Twain 188). Huck consequently plots to try and fix some of the wrong the Duke and the King did by stealing back the money they took and returning it to the rightful owners. The way Huck opposes the capitalistic tendencies in the Duke and the King shows Twain 's desire to break free from society 's impersonal and greedy …show more content…

For example, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons represent a class higher than Jim 's because of their skin tone. However, they appear to be more irresponsible and less compassionate than him in their senseless war with one another. The Duke and the King also are considered better than Jim in both classism and racism ideologies, and yet are two of the least trustworthy and ethical characters in the entire book. After stealing, deceiving, and manipulating entire towns, the Duke and the King establish themselves as villainous people, as opposed to the respectable men they ought to

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