The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: The Individual Supremacy

American Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” Here, he stresses the idea of a rugged individual who champions the reliance on himself rather than allowing society to manipulate his beliefs. This theory is the cornerstone of many individuals’ philosophy and has been proven ubiquitous in the writings of many American authors. Specifically, the author Mark Twain’s great American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, supports this idea of the American Transcendentalism by revealing the maturation of protagonist Huckleberry Finn to incorporate individual thoughts. Twain employs changing stylistic devices in the three parts of the novel to compel the audience to realize that self-conviction is more favorable than interdependence on external influences.

In the first part of the novel, Twain uses a variety of diction, syntax, and imagery to mock the characters’ conformity. From the very beginning, Twain restricts first person pronouns to “we” and “us.” For example, when Huck describes meeting the gang and crawling into a cave, he begins many sentences with “We went…,” “So we unhitched…,” and “Then we lit…,” as well as using phrases and words such as “we looked…” and “us” throughout the section (10). Huck’s use of these collective pronouns shows the group instead of the individual, highlighting his innocent belief that whatever the gang does, he must follow. However, to confirm that the group is not always right, Twain mocks Huck’s obedience to crawl a staggering two hundred yards in a dark passage into a...

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...ccentuate his objection to relying on other’s decisions instead of listening to one’s own ideas.

Undoubtedly, Mark Twain’s effective use of differing stylistic elements fortifies his predilection for independent thoughts as the main components of an individual’s opinion. His message is that a person should carefully evaluate outside influences instead of thoughtlessly conforming before making a decision. Through the novel’s development, the reader sees that a once naïve Huck becomes more aware of his individuality, eventually establishing his own thoughts on matters. Such a theme is prevalent in many tales about growing up, proving that progress only exists with new ideas. For humans to continue to progress through the twenty-first century, we need to leap over the inclination to repeat what others had done and form our own viewpoints to resolve our own problems.