Concept of Change in Huckelberry Finn and Shrek

999 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Huckleberry finn's maturation

Mark Twain wrote this at the time to initiate change within society. This can be identified through the concept of changing self. Changing self is going from one state to another, literally or metaphorically. Twain discuses the issue strongly throughout the novel, he also discusses other issues subtly through the text. We notice the character transformation in Huck along his journey down the river with “Nigger Jim”. The related text, Shrek and Huckleberry Finn are similar in terms of slavery and what is socially and morally right and wrong. The transformation of the characters, Shrek and Huck, as they long for a sense of freedom and the only way for them to be free is by having a conscience that they are comfortable and at ease with.

Throughout the novel of Huckleberry Finn, slavery is a major theme. Even though slavery had been abolished when Twain was writing the novel, people’s views in society hadn’t changed. In huckleberry Finn, twain explains slavery subtly through his characterisation to express his views about slavery.

At the time “Negroes”, African Americans basically had no rights and how they were treated like an accessory. They could be bought and sold through “Nigger Traders” which is quoted by Jim,

“…She gwyne to sell me down to Orleans, but she didn’t want to, but she could git eight hund’d dollars for me, en it’ uz sich a big stack o’money she couldn’ resis’. De widder she try to git her to say she wouldn’ do it, but I never waited to hear de res’…”

Also people in society believed that African Americans couldn’t look after themselves or there children properly. But as the book progresses Huck matures and realises a deeper truth and that Niggers were just like white people. As quoted by Huck pg 218,

“…He w...

... middle of paper ...

... because he’s different. That’s why Shrek tells donkey “Look, I’m not the one with the problem, ok? It’s the world that seems to have a problem with me. People take one look at me and go. ‘Ahhh…help…run…a big stupid ugly ogre!’ They judge me before they even know me. That’s why I’m better off alone.”

Once people got to know Shrek later on they realised that he was a really nice guy and that his appearance didn’t mean anything to who he was on the inside.

The person telling people what to think about fairy tale creatures is Lord farquaad. He despises them and tries to rid them from his land. We notice this by how he treats then and by what he does to them. As quoted by lord Farquaad when torturing the gingerbread man, “I’m not the monster here, you are. You, and the rest of that fairy tale trash poisoning my perfect world. Now tell me where are the others!”

Show More
Related

  • Social Psychology In Shrek

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is noticeable when the fairytale creatures were banished to the swamp by Lord Farquaad. Since they were not normal human beings, they were seen as outcasts and thus banished away from the kingdom. This is also obvious when the townspeople go to kill Shrek with pitchforks. Shrek, being an ogre, is seen as different from the townspeople and a threat to them. This causes them to want to kill him to ensure security. The second thing I noticed in Shrek ties along with in-group and outgroup, which is prejudice. Prejudice is seen in Shrek during the scene when Shrek has a conversation with Donkey explaining why the world doesn’t understand him. Shrek spoke of the prejudice people had towards him. He told Donkey that people judge him before they even get to know him. People view him as a big, ugly, stupid ogre who wants to do nothing but eat them. This is the reason why Shrek is so isolated and avoids becoming close with anyone. The townspeople are prejudice towards Shrek because of his appearance which is similar to how certain people are prejudice based on skin color. Right after this, friendship formulation occurs between Shrek and Donkey. Like Shrek, Donkey has been treated

    Read More

  • Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest American novels ever written. The story is about Huck, a young boy who is coming of age and is escaping from his drunken father. Along the way he stumbles across Miss Watson's slave, Jim, who has run away because he overhead that he would be sold. Throughout the story, Huck is faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to turn Jim in. Mark Twain has purposely placed these two polar opposites together in order to make a satire of the society's institution of slavery. Along the journey, Twain implies his values through Huck on slavery, the two-facedness of society, and represents ideas with the Mississippi River.

    Read More

  • Alienation of Huckleberry Finn in the Advertures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mark Twain throughout the book showed Huckleberry Finns personal growth on how he started from the bottom as a lonely, racist, immature kid who knew nothing to where he is now, by finally breaking away from society’s values he was taught in the beginning. He has alienated himself from the from that society and revealed how in fact these values were hypocritical. He realized that he can choose his own morals and that the one he chooses is the correct one.

    Read More

  • charhf Changes in Huck Finn's Character

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Huckleberry Finn – The Changes of His Character Throughout the Novel. & nbsp; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a novel about a young man's search for identity. Huckleberry Finn goes through some changes and learns some life lessons throughout his journey. Huck changes from being just an immature boy at the beginning of the novel to being a more mature man who looks at things from a different perspective now. & nbsp; At 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 anything about it."

    Read More

  • Issue of Slavery on a Micro and Macro Level Depicted in Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    Slavery is a gripping issue that can be viewed through an individual's experiences or through the general experiences of all those affected. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain does just that. Readers see a micro perspective through Jim's experiences and a macro perspective through the constant illustrations of slavery throughout the book. Twain examines the issue of Southern slavery in his novel from a macro and micro perspective in that he compares and contrasts Jim's personal experiences such as being viewed as property, the desire for freedom, and his compassionate feelings to those of other slaves in general.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Shrek

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first scene of Shrek starts off with him in his swamp having fun to an upbeat track (All Star by Smash Mouth), which presents Shrek to be a laidback, peaceful character. After the opening scene, there were a bunch of nearby villagers, who have negative stereotypes about ogres, headed towards Shrek’s swamp to try to drive him away from there (Constructivism). The usage of stereotypes set a theme for the film, to never judge a book by its cover. Once Shrek met Donkey and Fiona, neither one of them assumed that because Shrek was an ogre, it meant he is an evil monster. In addition, everyone else in the movie does not call him Shrek. Everyone calls him “Ogre” instead, further confirming the stereotype. In another scene after Fiona goes into a cave at night to sleep, Shrek and Donkey have a conversation of the aftermath of their quest to rescue Fiona. Shrek goes off on a tangent about how people hate him despite not even getting to know him. Donkey shows an example of personal construct by telling Shrek that he never thought of him as an ugly monster. This scene shows the bipolar dimensions aspect, where people who never tried to know more about Shrek would have a default negative view about him. Donkey, who learned more about Shrek during their journey, does not characterize him as any type of villain and

    Read More

  • Huckleberry Finn Nature Vs Nurture

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Shrek The Musical Analysis

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    The costumes in Shrek The Musical were the cherry on top of an already well produced play. Shrek and Fiona looked like actual ogres and looked very realistic with the green face and body paint. From head to toe, Shrek looked like a real life ogre. His clothing topped of him ogre like look and made him look very far from human. Similarly, when Fiona turned into an ogre she envisioned an ogre from head to toe. Donkey’s costume was also very realistic. He looked very similar to Donkey in the movie and his ears brought the whole costume to life. Lord Farquaad’s costume was the most interesting in my personal opinion. His costume was made very creatively to make him look oddly short. He was left walking on his knees throughout the show and there was a black piece of fabric with short legs on the front to hide his actual legs. His makeup, especially his eyebrows made him look more sassy which fit his character very well. The flashy gems and fabric of his costume made him look like royalty which was very well fitting since he is a king in the play. Another costume that stood out to me was Pinnochio’s. His nose that lengthened when he lied was very creatively made and also very realistic. The body paint on his face and arms made him look like a real life doll and his shoes were a good touch in my opinion to the costume.

    Read More

  • Prejudice and Racism in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...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]

    Read More

  • Religion, Slavery, and Democracy in Huckleberry Finn

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another theme that is dealt with in this book is slavery. In fact, slavery is one of the main topics that has been frequently debated in regards to Huckleberry Finn since it was first published. Twain himself was vehemently anti-slavery and Huckleberry Finn can in many ways be seen as an allegory for why slavery is wrong. Twain uses Jim, a slave who is one of the main characters, as a way of showing the human side of a slave. Everything about Jim is presented through emotions: Jim runs away because Miss Watson was going to sell him South and separate him from his family; Jim is trying to become free so he can buy his family's freedom; and Jim takes care of Huck and protects him on their journey downriver in a very materialistic manner.

    Read More

  • Dreadfulness of Modern Experience

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Mark Twain of Huck Finn - Satire

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many words the book contains are full of vivid disgust towards black slaves. Every single line talks about how white people despise and refuse to accept the black race. Answering Aunt Sally's question about whether or not anyone is hurt Huck answers, "no mum, just killed a nigger."(Twain 213) This is the one and only acceptable way to talk about black people in the "white" society. In addition to this, not only is the black people treated differently from the white, they are also considered to be one's property. "He is the only property I have," (Twain 122) Huck is perforce to say in order to save Jim. This is the only way to get through without the essence of suspicions. Though Huck shows racism in public as society teaches him, deep inside he understands that Jim is a great person. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Mark Twain shows that there is more to people then looks and race, showing the importance of beliefs and character.

    Read More

  • Huckleberry Finn

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Journey of the Hero in Shrek 2

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shrek’s journey begins when he receives an invitation from Fiona’s father and promptly travels to the city of Far Far Away. Barely arriving home from his honeymoon, Shrek is “hereby summoned to the kingdom of Far Far Away in celebration of [his] marriage” (Adamson, Asbury, Vernon, Shrek 2). He discerns that Fiona compels him to attend; however, Shrek has observed the grandiose procession during the reading of his summoning, and remarks he is out of place, being an ogre. By highlighting the differences brought upon by the notice, Shrek demonstrates he understands that his life is about to change drastically, fulfilling his call to adventure. Under pressure from Fiona and Donkey, his loyal friend, Shrek embarks on the road to Far Far Away. When he finally enters the gate of the extravagant city, Shrek sighs and asserts that “[they] are definitely not in the swamp anymore” (Adamson, Asbury, Vernon, Shrek 2). The area between Shrek’s swamp and the land of Far Far Away that he crosses serves as a threshold,...

    Read More

  • The Theme of Freedom in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    2203 Words  | 5 Pages

    Freedom is what defines an individual, it bestows upon someone the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. Therefore, enslavement may be defined as anything that impedes one’s ability to express their freedoms. However, complete uncompromised freedom is virtually impossible to achieve within a society due to the contrasting views of people. Within Mark Twain’s 1885 novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, numerous controversies are prevalent throughout the novel, primarily over the issue of racism and the general topic of enslavement. The characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn along with their development take an unmistakable, resilient stand against racism and by doing such in direct relation against the naturalized views of society. Twain’s characters, Jim and Huck are at the focal point of this controversy; they together are enslaved in two particularly different forms, nevertheless they both pursue their freedoms from their enslavements. The development of these characters and the growth of their interdependent relationship generate the structure of the anti-racism message within this novel. Twain’s introductory warning cautions the dangers of finding motives, morals, or plots in his novel, ironically proving the existence of each and encourages the reader to discover them. One of the undisputable major themes that extensively peculated my mind as I read the text regarded the subject of freedom and enslavement. Through Twain’s constant contrasting of freedom and enslavement such as its portrayal of slavery in the form of life on land compared to the freedom on the raft on the Mississippi Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, suggests that people are subject to various ensl...

    Read More

More about Concept of Change in Huckelberry Finn and Shrek

Open Document