Socialism is a set of both social systems and economic systems that are characterized by democratic control and also social ownership of all production, exchange and distribution equally within the community and focused on the common good. In the 185O’s, Mark Twain’s era, the South was far from a democracy. Caucasians were called upon to earn the highest levels of education, constantly act proper, and lead the society. They typically owned all the systems for production of goods, movement of products, and sales of materials. In contrast, Africans were enslaved and faced discrimination and racism everywhere. Many in both groups claim socialism existed in the South. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn showcases the socialist struggles between …show more content…
Although the book was written in the 188O’s and not the 184O’s when minstrel shows began appearing, the story renders a comic primal touch to the character Jim (Carey-Webb 24). The mask was symbolic of the illusion that African Americans were equal and had an equal roll in commerce and thus society was a socialist form of government. However, by using a mask that showed a “black faced figure of white fun”, the African character was reduced to a joke with no power within the society (Elision 421). When the novel was completed, although Africans had received citizenship, Southern Caucasian society saw them as animals devoid of any soul or feeling. This is portrayed in Huck Fin as even the boy takes Jim for …show more content…
He does this by having Huck point to “the leaves and rubbish on the raft” and ask “what does these things stand for” (Clemens 287). As Jim hears this, he realizes that Huck had played a trick on him and responds:
“What do dey stan’ for? I’s gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin’ for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos’ broke bekase you wuz los, en I didn’ k’yer no mo what become er me en de raf’. En when I wake up en fine you back agin’, all safe en soun’, de tears come en I could a got down on my knees en kiss you’ foot I’s so thankful. En all you wuz thinking ‘bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie.” (Clemens 287)
Jim criticizes Huck for the fasade and tells him that he is the equivalent of trash, as he states “trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head or dey fren’s en makes ‘em ashamed” (Clemens 287). In this moment, Huck realizes his error and apologizes. This gives hope that people can change and socialism can
When Huck and Jim first meet each other on the island they are just acquaintances who had little history together but the decision they make to help each other foreshadows their relationship later on in the story. When Jim first finds Huck he states, "Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain' dead—you ain' drownded—you's back agin? It's too good for true, honey, it's too good for true. Lemme look at you chile, lemme feel o' you. No, you ain' dead! you's back agin, 'live en soun', jis de same ole Huck—de same ole Huck, thanks to goodness!" (Twain ). By this time, Jim has heard the news of Hucks “death”, so when they find each other on the island it comes as a surprise to Jim. “People would call me a low-down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum--but that don't make no difference. I ain't a-going to tell, and I ain't a-going back there, anyways” (Twain ), Huck thought. After Jim told Huck that he was a runaway, Huck promised not to tell anyone, which shows his values and foreshadows their relationship later on in the story. After leaving ...
Jones, Rhett S. "Nigger and Knowledge. White Double-Consciousness in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Satire or Evasion? Black Perspectives on Huckleberry Finn. Ed. James Leonard, et al. Durham: Duke UP, 1992. 173-194.
Jim’s anticipation for freedom grew higher as he expressed his future dreams and aspirations. Jim began saying things that “niggers” wouldn’t normally dare say. Jim was speaking like a white man, not like someone’s property, a slave. This attitude began to lower Huck’s vision of Jim, and his conscience grew even hotter. Huck had never been exposed to a slave who spoke this way. It was his inadequate education that told him this was wrong.
In the appropriately titled novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", by author, Mark Twain, a young boy, named, Huckleberry Finn's life is completely changed. The story is basically that, Huck is sent to live with his strict relatives that try to conform him into someone he isn't, but, sequentially ends up traveling down the Mississippi River, with an escaped slave, Jim. As the novel progresses, Jim and Huck develop an extremely close friendship, which makes him change his views on slavery. Despite numerous chances, Huck never turns Jim in, because of his new outlook on slavery. Although slavery is a main theme in the book, it is not the only one. Because, author, Mark Twain creates a social critique by juxtaposing the idea of freedom against conformity, civilization, and social order. The reader can comprehend that although Jim is clearly looking for freedom, Huck is also, and desperately. Even though Huck is clearly not a slave, he still feels trapped with inescapable restrictions, and limitations, his new guardians and society has placed upon him. It is hard for Huck to conform to a way of life filled with hypocrisies. The novel as a whole reveals Huck’s resistance to conformity in a culture filled with religious hypocrisies. Many characters that affect Huck's freedom, like, his father, Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, Aunt Polly and Sally, the duke and the King constrain Huck to the confinement of his freedom, forcing him to begin his ultimate adventure.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain’s main characters depicted the societal issues of racism in the South. Huck Finn, a poor white boy, and Jim, an African American slave, both encounter situations that cause these characters inter turmoil because of the societal standards of the time. According to Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
The subject this book revolves around slavery, and how white folks’ mindset on black people was popular at that time. Their mindset involved treating black people as inferior to them, and how to them, they were not even considered human but property. Twain also shows how sometimes a fourteen year old boy (Huck) was more morally correct towards treatment of black people than many adults of his time. Twain presents this in a humorous way with its serious points. The issue is obvious throughout the story and makes the reader wonder how even “good” characters treate...
Every little while he locked me in and went down to the store, three miles to the ferry, and traded fish and game for whiskey and fetched it home and got drunk and had a good time, and licked me. (61)
The outcome when contrasting personal and societal interpretations of morality is that Huck begins his narrative with a self-centric strategy and neglects the use of his moral compass. Over time however, Huck is able to mature his moral standards while mobs of people never progress morally beyond the threshold that is established in the status quo. While Hucks transformation allows him to make his own sound judgements and this leads him to indict slavery. Furthermore, social morality is shown to be unsophisticated and potentially detrimental. Specifically, this brand of morality seeks self-preservation and in essence, mobs seem to devolve their moral standards and consequently, they allow the institution of slavery to continue. In sum, Huck grows more mature in terms of his moral responsibility and the overarching message that his story provides is that individual moral lessons are comparatively better to sharing the possibly misguided sentiment of the
The story of Huckleberry Finn is an interesting one as it combines much of the ideas of the old world with the ideas of the new modern world coming in Mark Twain combines the modern world of his time and the nostalgia of the old world in the character of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn has long been considered one of the most iconic storybook characters ever created possibly because of the combination of the old world and the modern. In this essay I will be exploring the representation of the modern world and its connection to the old world of Mark Twain’s time is about it I will be exploring in this paper.
‘Well, you wouldn’t ‘a’ ben here ‘f it hadn’t ‘a’ ben for Jim. You’d ‘a’ ben down dah in de woods widout any dinner, en gittn’ mos’ drownded, too; dat you would, honey.’”
The way Huck and Jim encounter each other on the island, draws parallels in their similar backgrounds. Huck is torn between a life of manners and etiquette and a dangerous life a freedom, and while Jim at an impasse because he is being sold into slavery farther away from his home and away from his family. Each choice, for both characters comes with a cost so they both decide to runaway, in an attempt to assert some control over their lives. After spending much time together, the pair establish a connection which at times Huck feels guilty about since it violates everything he was raised to believe. At a certain point, Huck considers turning Jim in by, writing a letter, but after recalling the goods times they shared, Huck exclaims, "All right, then, I 'll go to hell!” (Twain) and quickly tears up the letter. Twain depicts Huck and Jim 's eventually friendship as a source of emotional strife for Huck and Huck constantly has to decide whether to abandon Jim and turn him in or abandon his religious beliefs and stay with Jim. The ripping up of the letter that would have turned Jim in symbolizes the choice Huck 's has selected. For this moment onward, Huck is dedicated to keeping Jim from being sold back into slavery and has no intent on going back on his choice. While there are times, Huck pays attention to the color of Jim 's skin he believes that
...e end of the novel, Huck and the reader have come to understand that Jim is not someone’s property or an inferior man, but an equal. To say that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel is absurd, but there are always some hot-heads claiming that the novel is racist. These claims are not simply attempts to damage the image of a great novel, they come from people who are hurt by racism and don’t like seeing it in any context. However, they must realize that this novel and its author are not racist, and the purpose of the story is to prove black equality. It is vital for the reader to recognize these ideas as society’s and to recognize that Twain throughout the novel does encourage racist ideas, he disputes them. For this reason, and its profound moral implication, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be removed from the literary canon. [1056]
The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an extremely important work of literature that addresses many world problems such as: poverty, race relations, and our role in society. Although some of these issues are not as prevalent today as they were in the 1880s, the novel still sends an important satirical message to anyone who is willing hear this story. This essay will analyze Huckleberry Finn and its relation to society today; the main issues that are addressed include: Huckleberry’s growth as a moral and upstanding person, race relations between African-Americans and Caucasian-Americans including Huck’s relation to Jim and the issue of slavery, the role of society and an analysis of Huck’s role in society and society’s role in Huckleberry’s personality.
Huck and Jim had many adventures while aboard the raft together. Although Jim was black, and supposed to be looked down upon by Huck, he saw Jim as the fatherly figure he never received from his abusive biological father. He looked up to Jim and Jim protected Huck as if he were his son. Jim missed his own family, telling Huck "how the first thing he would do when he got to a free State he would go to saving money and never spend a single cent, and when he got enough he would ...
Another social problem that Mark Twain addresses in the book is slavery and treatment of black people in general. Jim, who is a black slave, is treated like a piece of property. For example, he is forced to practice Christianity, which actually seems to be the opposite of Christian values. Jim is also forcefully separated from his family and has no legal recourse to get them back. Jim is very superstitious, and Huck, who knows this, puts a dead snake, (representing bad luck) at the bottom of Jim's bed and Jim gets bitten. Even Huck, at this point in the book, threats Jim as less than human.