Gerald Graff's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States of America. As the first African American president, Obama started a legacy of change in America, as well as a legacy of newly unveiled prejudice and racism that has plagued African Americans for centuries. Obama’s inauguration helped uncover racism in government that did not end with the abolishment of slavery. Discrimination against free African Americans has been a problem in this country since before the idea of unlawful enslavement was discussed. Mark Twain contributed to the discussion of post-Civil War racism with his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this novel, Jim, an escaped slave, is freed via his owner’s death,

Huck has a grim attitude toward people he disagrees with or doesn't get along with. Huck tends to alienate himself from those people. He doesn't let it bother him. Unlike most people Huck doesn't try to make his point. When Huck has a certain outlook on things he keep his view. He will not change it for anyone. For instance in Chapter Three when Miss Watson tells Huck that if he prayed he would get everything he wished for. “Huck just shook his head yes and walked away telling Tom that it doesn't work because he has tried it before with fishing line and fishing hooks.” This tells us that Huck is an independent person who doesn't need to rely on

Twain argues it was not only the slaves who were bound in slavery but also everyone else around them. Since Jim is a slave who ran away, Huck is socially expected to go and report him, but Huck said he “ain’t agoing to tell” anyone about Jim (32). Huck is breaking widespread belief and not partaking in what is expected of a white boy. Huck’s freedom is more ingrained than any expectations anyone has for him and is one of his greatest qualities. Slavery is a set of rules everyone participates in and to step out of that and treat an African American person as a person is a very difficult thing because society is not accepting of it. Earlier in Huck’s adventure, after he was adopted by a widow, she spoke to Huck about religion and the benefits of prayer, Huck did not seem to understand the purpose of it all. The Widow spoke of “spiritual gifts” that were to be attained by prayer, a concept that confused Huck because he did not see how it helped anyone. Huck quickly finds the flaws within the concept of religion and decides he “wouldn’t worry about it anymore, but just let it go,” especially since it does not help him in any way (8). Huck does not see how praying will benefit him and therefore decides that he will have nothing to do with religion. There is also a social connection through practicing any religion and Huck grew up without any of that. Religion is one of the biggest social expectations, everyone is expected to abide by it, just like any other social standard. Huck’s reaction to religion and the prospect of turning in his friend clearly argue Twain’s point that those who do not benefit from society are the ones who challenge its

From Star Wars to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn timeless classics exist in multiple contrasting formats and outlines. They all come in with their own unique stories and differences that make each one a must read. However, there are many things that make one timeless classic similar to another. Two important criteria that make a timeless classic include the kind of experiences it presents and the well-rounded symbols it uses to enhance the theme. These two criteria are important for a timeless classic to be relevant because they can directly correlate with the life of a reader or send them a valuable message; this is exactly what Harper Lee presents in To Kill A Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is undoubtedly a timeless classic as depicted through the vivid and well rounded symbols it presents to enhance themes and the relevant, relatable experiences the protagonist Scout undergoes, which can directly be applied to any person even in the present day.

The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain and published on December 10, 1884. This picaresque novel takes place in the mid-1800s in St. Petersburg, Missouri and various locations along the Mississippi River through Arkansas as the story continues. The main character is young delinquent boy named Huckleberry Finn. He doesn’t have a mother and his father is a drunk who is very rarely involved with Huck’s life. Huck is currently living with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson who attempt to make the boy a more civilized and representable citizen. Later Huck runs away and meets this runaway slave named Jim and they become good friends. As Jim and Huck travel down river in their raft they experience many conflicts.

Huck began to over exaggerate as he was expressing his feelings of wickedness for “stealing a poor old woman’s nigger”, which is an over exaggeration since he did not steal Jim, but instead was helping him escape a terrible lifestyle (Twain 318). Also ironically, if he went to Sunday-school he would have learned that helping a slave would lead him to “everlasting fire”, instead of to Paradise, although holding slaves is against Christian ideologies (318). By doing this Twain subtly emphasizes the foolishness and irony that religious women such as Miss Watson would even own a slave while parading herself as a devout Christian woman because of the fact that Christians do not believe in harming other beings, which slavery does by oppression. As Huck pondered on his ethical dilemma whether to save

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain provides a “notice” in order to dissuade readers from expectations met by other story archetypes. To do so he purposely develops a plot, that is neither clear nor seeks to satisfy a particular notion. Twain weaves a tale that appears to have a concrete purpose, yet the story never reaches a definitive point. The audience is lulled into the mindset that the novel will reveal its true design, only to be met with a feeling of utter dismay. It is a messy collage of Huck’s human experience where realism takes precedence over the romantic appeal readers want to experience. Twain provides twisted romantic themes in hopes that the reader will realize the realism and ugly truth of that time.

Many people have different views about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Some say the book is a classic, others feel different about the book. Some say that the book is a racist, others say that the book shows american history. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a valuable novel and should be included in high school curriculum because it is a classic, shows American history, and because of its realistic themes.

( for Jim and his slavery and Huck wanting to feel free and open and one day hoping no slavery in Ohio in the future)

Although Huck admitted that it was wrong to free a slave in God’s and society’s eyes, he couldn’t find fault in Jim and couldn’t betray him after all they’d been through. Huck was wrestling with the climactic decision of whether or not to turn Jim over, or help him escape. During this process Huck states, "And I see Jim before me all the time. But I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him. He would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything...said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world"( Twain 214). The reason that this event is so important in the book as well as a life lesson is that it shows the power of emotion, feeling, and the heart. Huck befriended Jim and built a strong father-son friendship that persuaded him to declare “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”( Twain 214). A final decision was made in which the heart won over the conscience. Society, however forceful, was overcome and abandoned by Huck, who broke the constraints and made a critical decision to become independent and put into place his own individualistic and moral

Often times Huck found himself in a moral dilemma on whether to do what society instilled in him or to do what he thinks should be done. Huck betrayed those feelings of “what society would want” him to do in order to be a good friend to Jim, putting his own self up at risk again for Jim. Jim was being held captive by Huck’s current host and Huck, abandoning his duties of his superior race and being a good Christian, as the Widow called it Huck suddenly has an epiphany “All right then, I'll go to hell!” as he goes to “steal Jim out of slavery” (212). Seeing the situation through Huck’s perspective it gives the reader every little detail that goes into his thought process in his decision making. These types of actions were considered wrong by society at that time and place but Huck sets that all aside and does what he feels is the right thing. Most of the time Huck has to think on his feet making the decision making process even more difficult, like the time when Huck was going to give Jim up as a runaway slave. “Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on, s’pose you’d ‘a’ done right and give Jim up, would you feel better than what you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad---I’d feel just the same way I do now” (91). Even through Huck’s dialect you can see him argue with himself on what the right thing to is, but he throws out what society would do and does what his heart tells him. Through Huck arguing

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been labelled as a picaresque novel. A picaresque novel is an adventure story that involves an anti-hero or picaro who wanders around with no actual destination in mind. The picaresque novel has many key elements. It must contain an anti-hero who is usually described as an underling(subordinate) with no place in society, it is usually told in autobiographical form, and it is potentially endless, meaning that it has no tight plot, but could go on and on. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has moulded itself perfectly to all these essential elements of a picaresque novel. Huck Finn is undeniably the picaro, and the river is his method of travel, as well as the way in which he wanders around with no

Huck was taught by the world that slavery was right. It was the way of life and the way it was supposed to be. "All right, then, I'll go to hell." (206) Even though he thought this way he still knew the kind of man Jim was and disregarded what he knew to be right and wrong to save Jim

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been called one of the greatest American Novels and considered a masterpiece of literature. The book is being taught by teachers across the country for years. Now, Huckleberry Finn, along with other remarkable novels such as Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird, is being pulled off the shelves of libraries, out of schools and banned from classrooms because it has been considered unsuitable and racist for today's youth. An classic American novel like this book should not be banned from schools; it shows history, growth and friendship.

Despite an ardent view on slavery evident through interactions with Jim, Huck’s slowly shifting view of Jim from that of ignorance to seeming acceptance expresses his ability to stray from flawed societal values to his own developed moral code of conduct. This becomes evident when Huck protects Jim from men who board his raft, by hinting he has smallpox. Although one can see this as compassion for Jim, Huck questions with racist undertones, “s’pose you done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad” (Twain 127). However, he later affirms himself to “do whatever come handiest at the time.” (Twain 127). At this point, society still influences Huck, but his statement marks his decision to detach from societal values, and eventually allows him to form his own views on Jim. This comes slowly, as Huck cannot shake free from racism.