Regionalism In Huckleberry Finn

574 Words2 Pages

In his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain emphasizes the significance of family, friendship, deceit, and morality in order to build Huckleberry Finn’s unique character. Furthermore, by displaying certain elements of realism, regionalism, and local color in the novel, Twain looks down upon the overarching idea of slavery and stresses the importance of freedom - the idea which America was founded on. In the beginning of the novel, Huck goes on an extensive journey along the Mississippi River due to his poor relationship with his father Pap. Although being a father is an extremely important role and a huge responsibility in normal families, Pap shows no concern for Huck. In fact, he treats Huck in an incredibly cruel manner, often beating him up, physically abusing him, and condemning him of his education. Pap’s abusive nature gives Huck a false perception of the true The realization of his own values, however, does not cause him to denounce the values of society because they are what is considered “acceptable.” This depicts the realistic view of common ignorance and inhumanity that existed in society when slavery was still a fact of life. The characteristics of regionalism, realism, and local color that are portrayed in the novel further enhance the harsh reality of the slave societies. For example, the complex and photographic description of the Mississippi River represents Twain’s attempt to stay as close to reality as possible, as well as his attempt to characterize the river as an object of symbolic importance - the path to freedom. Additionally, Twain utilizes certain dialects in the novel. Dialects are not only realistic in grammar and word choice, but also in the characters that display them. Characters who are less educated and of lesser status, such as Jim, speak using slang and improper

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