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huckleberry finn symbolism essay
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Mark Twain is one of the greatest prose writers in American history. He has written many famous novels such as, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain, in fact, was not his real name. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Mark Twain was more of a stage name for him. In, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck gets abused by his own father and fakes his own death. He then meets an escaped slave named Jim who travels around with him on his journey. Huck and Jim travel down the Missouri River on a raft and undergo many adventures. Jim is then captured and sold to the family of Huck’s childhood friend, Tom Sawyer. Tom then hatches a wild plan to free …show more content…
The raft was a place where Huck and Jim could talk and get to know each other man-to-man and not master-to-slave. It was a place where race didn’t matter. They were equals. Huck said, "We… let her [the raft] float wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things—we was always naked, day and night, whenever the mosquitoes would let us" Huck did not care that Jim was black; Jim did not care that Huck was white. Floating down the middle of the river just might be the only place this black man and white boy can speak together as equals. For this reason, the raft is a very important symbol. Huck can also be seen as a symbol for America in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Huck says that he 's got to "Light out for the territory ahead of the rest," This indicates that he 's taking on the role of the pioneer: heading out to new, untamed country. Huck does not want to be a “sivilized” man. When one place becomes somewhat “sivilized”, he moves to a new frontier. Like most early Americans, Huck was smart but uneducated, a little wild but honest and moral, and not too fond of table manners. So Huck was like most early American
Throughout literature and novels we can find authors who will reference history, other authors works and most often the Bible. One may ask themselves the reasoning behind allusions and how it can affect our perspective and the authors meaning when reading the novel. In the late sixties, Julia Kristeve, who studied the elements of literature and other communication systems, introduced the word “Intertextuality”. In Kristave’s essay “Word, Dialogue, and Novel” she went into deep analysis of an authors work and its text, “A literary work, then, is not simply the product of a single author, but of its relationship to other texts and to the strucutures of language itself. Any text," she argues, "is constructed of a mosaic of quotations; any text
“She was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it.” (Finn, 12) From the moment Huckleberry Finn is introduced in Mark Twain’s text Tom Sawyer, it is beyond evident that he is a boy that is not like most in this society. Huck comes from one of the lowest levels of the white society in which he lives. The truth of the matter is that this is not at all Huck’s fault. His low place in society stems from the fact that his father is an excessive drunk, that disappears for large periods of time, and when he does surface, he spends almost all of that time alternating between being jailed and abusing Huck. Therefore, Huckleberry Finn has become a bit of a ruffian himself, spending a majority of his time homeless, floating along the river, smoking his pipe and running a small gang with one of his only friends, Tom Sawyer. Throughout the course of this text, we watch as Huck transforms from this mindset of very little capacity for competent judgment and a very narrow minded concept of what is right and what is wrong to one of very broad minded perspective with an incredibly complex idea of the differences between rights and wrong. Within Mark Twain’s text Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huckleberry undergoes a series of very intense events that ultimately lead to a complete change in the development of his character.
Continuing what he had started in the first eleven chapters, Twain further develops Huck Finn's character through a series of events where Huck's decisions indicate his moral struggle. Adventures shows the dynamic movement of Huck's internal difficulty, illustrating his conflicted nature.
Growing up, humans get smarter, learn to find their place in their world, and discover their basis of beliefs. Those three things are met when a person looks towards physical, cultural, and geographical surroundings to shape their psychological or moral traits. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck did just that. He was shaped by his journey down the The Mississippi River, his good friend Jim, the crude Miss Watson and his father “Pap”, these surrounding aspects help illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole, developing Huck into the person he was at the end of the novel.
In many ways, to understand the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the reader must also know a little about the author. Mark Twain was one of the many pen names of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in 1835 and grew up in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri. Twain is considered the father of modern American literature, primarily because of this novel. Numerous schools have banned this novel from their reading lists because they believe it to be racist. The ironic part of this is that Clemens was an abolitionist. He hoped that people would understand and be able to see the unfairness and horrors of slavery by reading his book and seeing what slavery does to people.
Freedom, the most blatant theme in the novel, takes on a different perspective for Huck, escaping a civilized lifestyle, and Jim, escaping being sold by Mrs. Watson. Huck is forced to adapt to Widow Douglass’ civilized lifestyle, but he perceives it as “rough living… when [he] couldn’t stand it no longer, [he] lit out… and was free and satisfied” (1). The struggle within the confines of both the Widow and his father are the reason he flees to the island. While the Widow sent him to school and taught him religion, Pap was a major threat to Huck’s security and he knew how to cleverly escape it. By playing a trick on his drunk, sleeping father in the shed, “Pretty soon [he] made it out” (41). He took a canoe downstream and once he arose, “there was Jackson Island” (42). This marks his first point of freedom now that Huck is successfully on his own. Jim, on the other hand, runs away before Mrs. Watson is able to sell him, separating him from his family. Similarly to Huck, when Jim hears the rumors he runs away to Jackson Island. When the island becomes unsafe, they set out on a raft down the Mississippi River. “ ‘You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft’ ” (128), said Huck. Huck and Jim now have no restrictions, they are able to be free and they no longer need to hide from anyone. On the river, Jim is labeled a runaway slave and fears that he will be caught. At ...
Mark Twain, who is a realistic fiction writer, incorporates satire and humor in his writing, including Archetypal elements to modify how the reader interprets the story. He uses many archetypal characters like Huck and Jim who both can be argued as the heroes. They both have good intentions and help others. Mark Twain portrays Jim as a deeply caring and loyal friend. Jim becomes a father figure to Huck, helping him realize the human face of slavery. Twain Portrays Huck as a young and naive boy who has been under the wrong influence for a long time. Another archetypal element that Mark Twain uses is Jims Quest for freedom. This was a quest for most all African Americans, to run away north so you could be free. But Jim was one of the few who was brave enough to do so; that’s he can be classified as the hero in the story. But Jim’s life is not too bad compared to historical records about the lives of slaves. Even though he had to struggle for his freedom, he didn’t have any good reason to leave. His life contested of helping round and not doing hard enduring work like some of the other slaves. The way Jim’s life is portrayed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Mark Twain criticizes the life of African Americans at the time.
In the story of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses many different types of symbols to get Twains numerous messages across. Twain signifies the Mississippi river as a symbol to get away from society for Huck and Jim. Twain also criticizes the way society runs and the things it teaches everyone to be. The river vs. land setting in Huckleberry Finn symbolizes Huck's struggle with himself versus society; Twain suggests that a person shouldn't have to conform to society and should think for themselves.Throughout the novel, Mark Twain shows the society that surrounds Huck as just a little more than a set of degraded rules and authority figures. When the new judge in town allows Pap to keep custody of Huck, adopters are things he doesn't need and doesn't care for. Twain gives Huck the power to think for himself, and come to adult conclusions, which show Twains message; think for yourself.Mark Twain's book Huckleberry Finn is for the reader to interpret for him or herself. But any reader could pick up on Huck's struggle with the freedom the Mississippi River gives him, and the society that holds him back. Huck realizes that he shouldn't have to conform, and he refuses to at the end of the book. Huck's trials and tribulations show the reader that he or she to think for themselves and not conform to societies standards from Huck's time period, or now.
The river is Huck’s escape route from the rules of society, and represents not only a new life for him but also for Jim, an escaped slave. Both Huck and Jim are trying to leave behind the tight grip society has on them. As neither Huck nor Jim were free to do what they wanted back “home”, the river and raft become their independence. Jim and Huck use the raft and each other to create a home and realize that “there wasn’t home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft doesn’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft”(Twain,128). While on the raft, Huck begins to relate with his surroundings, nature, which gives him time and space to think for himself. On the raft there is no discrimination. Huck and Jim are equals. Even though Huck is still young in age, he knows it is time to start forming his own opinions and not follow the lead of others. It is here, that Huck truly understands the cruelty of slavery and how brutal society can be to other human beings simply because of the color of their skin. This realization strengthens Huck’s ability to stand behind his values and reject society’s
Throughout the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huckleberry Finn challenges the meaning of being civilized by being morally good with only self-guidance and nature to rely on. Mark Twain was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835, and spent most of his young life near the Mississippi River just as Huck did. Twain’s father died when he was 12 and Huck’s father also died when he was young. Twain expressed Huck’s sense of adventure and fortune through his travels to the holy land and his interests in South American treasure. Twain served for the Confederacy during The Civil War, but was persuaded to leave by his brother, putting him on the path of becoming an author. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Twain emphasizes that the traditional definition of being civilized does not apply to Huck by shaping Huck’s morals through survival and nature.
Mentally the term Manifest Destiny opened up new opportunities, a new way of life and experience change. At the end of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck travels out west in search of who he really is. Huckleberry Finn is pin pointed in several different scenarios when asked to state his name and who he is. Instead of responding with Huckleberry Finn, he falls back on the similarities while representing characteristics such as tragedy, a loved one is sick or the topic of death. He contributes aspects of his family, Pap, sibling and his desire for a family while projecting his aliases. The audience he is trying to attract he successfully draws them in by saying he has been left all alone and he wants sympathy from others. Huck 's stories begin to get more elaborate and express extra details as the story goes on. He portrays an image in his head of what he wants in life. Throughout the novel, Huck becomes more comfortable lying because he resorts to being someone else than himself. Instead of accepting who he is and his imperfections, he creates and an idealized image of the way he wants his life to be. With the philosophy of Manifest Destiny, Huck will no longer need these aliases as he moves out
Rivers flow freely, and smoothly, and people usually go to the river to escape from society and civilization. They feel free with the nature surrounding them, which allows them to rest, and relax in peace. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain uses symbolic importance of the Mississippi River. Throughout the story, the Mississippi River plays an important symbolic figure, and significance to the story's plot. For Huck and Jim, the river is a place for freedom and adventure. Mark Twain uses the Mississippi River to symbolize freedom, adventure, and comfort.
The Raft and the Mississippi River play a major role in this book. The river comes to symbolize many things, and one important role I believe the river play is being the deliverer for both Huck and Jim. The river takes both Huck and Jim away from captivity. As Huck was running from both Pap and the Widow, and Jim was running from Miss Watson the river helps to cover their footsteps. With Jim confined to the raft during the day it is very difficult for them to hunt. The river also helps to feed them.
Ransomed? Whats that???.. it means that we keep them till they're dead (10). This dialogue reflects Twains witty personality. Mark Twain, a great American novelist, exploits his humor, realism, and satire in his unique writing style in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain, born in 1835, wrote numerous books throughout his lifetime. Many of his books include humor; they also contain deep cynicism and satire on society. Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, exemplifies his aspects of writing humor, realism, and satire throughout the characters and situations in his great American novel.
Since the first colonists stepped foot on the New World, America has harbored countless great novelists, authors, and poets. Whether it was criticized or celebrated, the burgeoning democracy proved itself to be the keystone for timeless American works. Dramatic scenes such as Hester's time on the scaffold clutching baby Pearl or Gatsby's murder at the hands of George Wilson evoked powerful sensations in American literature that have stood the test of time. However, there is only one scene that could be representative of all American literature, from its beginning to the modern day. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn captures the essence of American literature when Huck Finn fakes his death to run away down the Mississippi River,