A stereotypical glance at an old southern society during the 19th century would reveal a community full of hospitality and charm. Realistically, however, a true southern society in the mid-1800s was more corrupt and squalid than most would expect. In his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain elicits a multitude of character traits to expose the truly corrupt inner workings of the Southerner during the nineteenth century.
Mark Twain utilizes pseudo-intelligence to mock and expose the hubristic ways of southerners. At the beginning of the novel, Tom decides to put together a band of robbers that they make official with a blood oath. While discussing the rules of their new gang, the topic of what the boys should do with the women
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During the nineteenth century, Southerners often took great pride in their faith in Christianity, but unfortunately religion was often an act that they put on for society. For example, Huck meets two families, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons, while staying in one of their homes. These two families developed a bitter, violent feud that has lasted around 30 years, but they also claim to be devout Christians. Despite all of this, they attend church sermons on brotherly love and carry their guns into the house of worship (Davis). Twain utilizes these hypocritical families to point out that going to church and being a Christian are not necessarily the same thing. Twain also presents this idea by revealing Aunt Sally’s attitude towards African Americans. After being captured by the King and the Duke, Jim is sold to Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas. While Jim is kept as a prisoner, Aunt is incredibly friendly towards Jim. She checks in on him every so often and makes sure he is never too hungry. However, when Huck first arrives and tells Aunt Sally about the boat wreck, she worriedly asks if anyone was hurt. He tells her that only a black man was killed, and she counters, “Well, it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt” (Twain 221). Through this harsh sentiment, Aunt Sally implies that African Americans are not actually human beings. She can treat African Americans
Huckleberry Finn - Moral Choices There were many heroes in the literature that has been read. Many have been courageous and showed their character through tough times. Through these tough times, they were forced to make important decisions and this is where you get the real idea of who deserves to be called a hero. The most influential though of all these was Huckleberry Finn. Through the innocence of childhood, he is able to break through the societal pressures that are brought on him and do right.
The act of Christian men and woman, such as in the Catholic faith, is often contradictory as to how they believe they should live their lives. In the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain strikes a parallel between two feuding families, and the contradictory patterns of the Church they attend. This parallel is first grazed on when upon attempting to explain to Huck why the feud started, Buck Grangerford declares that "Oh, yes, pa knows, I reckon and some of the other old people; but they don't know what the row was about in the first place" (Twain 108). From this it is evident that the two families have no idea what they are fighting about.
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.
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tell the tale of a young boy who embarks on an adventure, one that leads him to find himself. Throughout the novel Huck develops a sense of morality that was always there to begin with, but not nearly as developed as it is by the end of the novel. Through living on his own, independent of societal and peer pressures, Huck is able to identify his own morals in defining what is 'right ' or 'wrong '.
Jim had run away from his abusive father and enabling small town to find himself traveling down the Mississippi on a raft. His traveling partner was a black slave, Jim. Wondering why Jim was there, Huck discovers that Jim had run away from his slave owner, Ms. Watson. Jim had spoken about his harsh life as a slave, and resented talk of being sold down to Orleans for a “big stack o’ money.” Huck felt that Jim’s escape was wrong, but kept his promise of secrecy, like any good friend would.
The book I am doing my book report on is called “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain. This book revolves around a poor fourteen year old boy named Huck who runs away from his drunk father and finds friendship within a former slave, Jim, trying to escape to the free states. They adventure along the Mississippi River and end up stopping at various places throughout the novel and meet people who are all morally inadequate. “Tom told me what his plan was, and I see in a minute it was worth fifteen of mine for style, and would make Jim just as free a man as mine would, and maybe get us all killed besides. So I was satisfied, and said we would waltz in on it.” This quotes illustrates the dangers that come to Huck and Jim in this novel, but how Huck chooses to go with the plan anyhow, since it causes a sense of ‘adventure.’ The setting of this novel takes place before the Civil War in different towns along the Mississippi River in Missouri. I will talk about how Huck meets Jim, how he and Jim have to escape from their present issues, how they form a friendship and come across evil in their journey, and how they both end up free with a little help from Tom Sawyer.
Twain utilizes the treatment of religion as a moral entitlement to do wrong. As Huckleberry and Tom started their band of robbers, member Ben Rogers suggested Sunday as a day to rob, but everyone promptly disagreed due to it being the holy day of the week. Later in the book, the two prominent Southern families, Grangerfords and Sherperdsins both attend church, and both hear the same sermon about brotherly love and grace towards other, but totally ignore
Society establishes their own rules of morality, but would they be accepted in these days?
Twain portrays the complete lack of moral fiber in the King and the Duke through their cons and deceit. On numerous accounts, the King and the Duke lie to others exclusively for self-serving and wicked motives. From the first meeting with the King and the Duke, Huck knows that, ?these liars warn?t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds? (ch. 19), knowledge obtained via the utter disregard for others in the King and the Duke?s scams. Huck?s use of ?fraud? (ch. 19), for instance, highlights the duo?s use of fabricated personas to rob others of their possessions, acts of such low ...
When Huck first meets Aunt Sally she welcomes him with open arms, and later when Tom arrives she claims “it would not be Southern hospitality to [let him walk]” (Twain 172). This side of the Phelps Family shows their stereotypical southern farming family that owns slaves and has no problem without. Having said that, Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas contradict themselves by treating Jim, a runaway slave, with great care and kindness. One day when Tom and Huck are visiting Jim in his shack, Jim tells them how “Uncle Silas comes in every day or two to pray with him, and Aunt Sally comes in to see if he is comfortable and has plenty to eat, and both of them are as kind as they can be” (Twain 187). This side of the Phelps is the complete opposite of what one would expect, especially considering Jim is a runaway slave who in some cases were even hung.
Huck Finn, a narcissistic and unreliable young boy, slowly morphs into a courteous figure of respect and selflessness. After Pap abducts the young and civilized Huck, Huck descends into his old habits of lies and half-truths. However, upon helping a runaway slave escape, Huck regains morality and a sense of purpose. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck lies to characters, casting the authenticity of the story into doubt but illustrating Huck’s gradual rejection of lying for himself and a shift towards lying for others.
Throughout the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn there are numerous crimes. The violence of these crimes is described vividly by Huck, the narrator, which shows their impact upon him. By showing Huck's shock over these events, Twain is showing that there is no real justice in the South, except for the hollow and often inappropriate excess found attempts to obtain personal justice. During these scenes Huck's turmoil reflects what Twain wants the reader to feel. Ultimately, this novel is a sharp criticism of a Southern lifestyle where justice is unobtainable.
This essay will analyze the themes of religion, slavery, and democracy in the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. By exploring these themes that lie behind the book’s veneer, we can understand Twain’s objective for writing this book.
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.
Over the 129 years for which the book has been in print, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been regarded with much controversy, for many different reasons. As it has progressed, the subject of this controversy has been almost constantly changing. This essay will explore some of the claims and explanations of the controversy, as well as a discussion on whether the book is even that controversial. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this novel, The main complaints seem to revolve around three core topics: Twain’s portrayal of Jim and other blacks, The extensive use of the racial slurs and racism, and the final chapters of the book itself.