Huck Finn

Twain's Dark Vision of American Society

In his book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain writes about his view of America. Twain utilizes different characters in his book to convey the state of society during his time. Each character essential in elaborating Twain's message comes from a different background and serves as a representation of various people in their respective social class. Only an individual's thoughts and actions can accurately embody their true notions about society. Considering this rationale, readers must understand Huck's profound character to grasp Twain's perception of the fundamental hypocrisy and moral confusion of American society.

Huck, the protagonist, epitomizes a white orphan raised in a lower social stratum. Widow Douglas, a kind woman, adopts Huck with the intention of civilizing him. However, growing up virtually alone exposes him to the unforgiving world. Huck occasionally displays distrust for some of the ideals pervasive in society. Throughout the book, Huck encounters many predicaments that influence him to reflect upon his place in society. Readers can observe Huck's character development as he handles dilemmas throughout his narrative.

Growing up in an environment that treats him as an outcast, Huck progressively realizes that his fate puts him into particularly difficult circumstances. The things in life that apply to a "regular" person do not apply in the same way to him. For instance, he cannot relate to the "normal" childhood that most middle-class children experience. He is an orphan without a place to truly call home, split between his delinquent maternal father and Widow Douglas. Some critics like Jonathan Bennett views Huck to be a weak-minded teenager who "hasn't the spun...

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...uence someone even as innocent and neutral as Huck to conform. After Huck's experience with the Duke and the Dauphin, he realizes that "the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way." (Twain, 95). Huck is merely acting the same toward Tom to prevent any more trouble from occurring in his life.

In analysis of Huck's character, readers can find that Twain depicts his dark vision of American where the country does not live up to its own ideals. The question to ask now is whether Twain leaves any room for American society to rise above its hypocritical state. Some people believe hypocrisy is necessary to maintain democracy. Without hypocrisy, the powerful voice of opinion may transform the country into a state of civil war. Does Twain perceive hypocrisy to be inevitable and prevalent, or does he see it as moral issue to overcome?