Huck Finn Analysis The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn A Critical Analysis SECTION I- Chapters 1 through 11 The book introduces Huck as the first person narrator which is important because it establishes clearly that this book is written from the point of view of a young, less than civilized character. His character emerges as a very literal and logical thinker who only believes what he can see with his own eyes. In this section Huck’s life with the Widow Douglas and her attempts to raise him as a civilized child sets up the main theme of this book which is the struggle or quest for freedom. Huck’s struggle for freedom from civilized society is paralleled by Jim’s struggle to escape from slavery. Irony as a key literary …show more content…
The primary relationships of Huck with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson as well as Huck with Pap and Huck with Jim are established. Throughout the novel, Huck takes on different identities to further his attempts at freedom. In this section three of these identities are seen. One is Huck, the dead boy when he “kills” himself in order to cover his escape from Pap at his cabin and the other is Sarah Mary Williams whom he disguised himself as when he attempted to get information and later George Peters emerges when Sarah is discovered to be a boy. SECTION II -Chapters 12 through 20 In this section, insight into the character of Jim is portrayed. Jim comes across as sincere and trustworthy. The loyalty of Jim and Huck to each other begins to be seen. An example of Jim’s loyalty is seen when Jim is overjoyed to find Huck is still alive after they are separated in the fog. During this section, it begins to be apparent that Jim would be willing to sacrifice to be sure that Huck is safe but Huck does not yet return those feelings. During this section, Huck’s moral dilemma about helping a slave escape begins to surface. The fact that the relationship is strengthening is revealed when Huck lies about having smallpox on their raft in order to prevent Jim from being caught as a slave. Huck again assumes several identities during this section, which reveal much about him. On the raft, Huck is very mature and responsible. He becomes the son of a
“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” (Twain, ix) Mark Twain opens his book with a personal notice, abstract from the storyline, to discourage the reader from looking for depth in his words. This severe yet humorous personal caution is written as such almost to dissuade his readers from having any high expectations. The language in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is completely “American” beyond the need for perfect grammar. “Mark Twain’s novel, of course, is widely considered to be a definitively American literary text.” (Robert Jackson,
Throughout the book, Huck narrates about his personal experiences and his life while floating down the river with his runaway friend, Jim. But although
Huck and Jim team up and started traveling together where they encountered many situations like accidentally ending up on a wrecked steamship full of thieves or joining up with some theater con artists who scam entire towns. However Jim is recaptured and then things quickly go downhill. Huck finds the house where Jim is being held. He is greeted by Sally the white mistress of the house. Sally is certain that Huck is her nephew Tom, who was supposed to arrive days ago on a steam ship, taking the opportunity to conceal his identity by pretending to be her nephew. Huck is not sure he will be able to keep up the charade of being Tom when Silas, Sally's husband returns, but Huck realises by his greeting that Sally and Silas are actually the aunt of an uncle of his best friend
I believe that the world is full of adventures and that I would like to go on with my friends Tom and Joe. I’m a thirteen-year-old son of the local drunk and a protagonist. I live in a small town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. So far I’ve been on many adventures with my friends. I was a witness to a murder, lived on an island, and became rich. Witnessing a person’s murder was pretty scary but I had my best friend there with me. We swore to keep our mouths shut but when my friend potter was accused, I felt really bad, but if I told what I saw I would a been a goner. But my friend tom told, at one point and I was on the verge of talkin too, but the mudurer ran out the court room.
I recently read the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This story deals Mainly with a lost boy escaping his harsh existence, and a slave trying to reach freedom. During the course of this book, the slave Jim, and the Boy Huck Bond with each other. I enjoyed this book immensely for a couple different reasons. While I liked the story, and the plot kept me interested, the real reason I found myself enjoying this book so much, was Mark Twain’s use of the underlying theme of racism.
Jim is the deuteragonist of the book “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. He is also known as the runaway slave of Miss Watson, the widow’s sister. He is very superstitious and blames most bad incidents on prior events that had led him to bad luck. Jim is at times intelligent and full of common sense, and is also very trusting and sympathetic. There is no doubt that without Jim, Huck might have never lasted long alone.
I chose this song because it captures the boredom that Huck felt living with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Huck is used to a life where he does not have to follow any rules. He does not have to school or church and has the freedom to dress as he wishes. Miss Watson sees this as uncivilized and decided to “sivilise” him. He now has to follow a strict set of rules that include going to church, school, and wearing “proper” clothes. Although he adapts fairly well to this, the only real fun he has is when he sneaks out to hang out with Tom and his gang. He is never fully comfortable with the actions that go along with being “sivilized”. This way of life just is not for him. Therefore, the low mood of this song is a good reflection to how Huck feels in this period of time.
“I do not wish any reward but to know I have done the right thing,” (Twain 272) is a sentiment that many feel, as though there is no real reward, it is better to be moral. Author Mark Twain explores the idea of morality in one of the most iconic and truly American stories, the acclaimed masterpiece known as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; a regionalist story about a young boy living on the riverbanks of the Mississippi. In the renowned novel, Twain weaves a tale of youth and adventure, using his distinct localistvoice to fully immerse the reader in the storyline. As a regionalist, his writing is unique in that it captures the language of the specific time period and the region in which he lived. Throughout the book, the focus is placed upon the protagonist, Huckleberry Finn,a young white boy living in the South during the 1800s He journeys along the river with his companion, an escaped slave named Jim andencounter many obstacles, including con men, slave traders, robbers and more. As the story continues, Huck Finn begins to mature and develop his own personal morals, allwhile resisting attempts to civilize or change him. Though it is often viewed as a charming and humorous tale, the writer masterfully underlies the comedy with important queries about morality or ethics. Within The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain effectively utilizes characterization in order to highlight how societal pressures help cement the innate immorality of humankind, as well as
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Huck, a boy who has run away from his abusive father, and Jim, a fugitive slave, travel down the Mississippi river together. Huck’s surroundings change throughout the novel, from isolation on the river to the home of a feuding Southern family, the Grangerfords. Huck’s morality, often measured by his treatment of Jim, fluctuates depending on his location. In isolation, he grows, but when he is thrust back into society again, his growth is lost. The influence of his surroundings has a profound impact on Huck’s ideas and moral compass. The contrast is evident between life with Jim on the raft and life travelling with the Duke and the King, two conmen, or life with the Grangerfords. Mirroring that contrast, Huck’s morality on the raft is vastly different than his morality in those other situations. Proving that individual opinions on morality and the world are possible only in isolation, Huck’s cultural and physical surroundings compromise his morality and worldview.
After reading the novel, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, written by Mark Twain, I found that contrary to my original beliefs, I enjoyed this novel. The book reveals the main character known as “Huck” and shows the readers that he was very cruelly abused by his father who was a drunk. Huck has decided to go on a journey down the Mississippi Rover with a runaway slave, named Jim. Throughout the novel, Huck and Jim are faced with an encounter with con artists, and a deadly feud, amongst other things. This novel broke many literary rules that were in place in its time, and in my opinion, that is what truly shapes the novel. I enjoy the way the novel was not written in perfect English but revealed what it was actually like for those who could not speak English as well. The novel deals with one issue in particular, which is still a popular issue today, known as racism. While some may believe this book is racist due to its common use of the “n” word, the novel is actually the opposite and is powerfully against racism and slavery. Despite the fact that Huck was taught to be racist, through the novel he overcomes this idea contrary to his belief that it is wrong. Another strong aspect of this novel is the use of positive role models, such as Huck and Jim who are patient, noble, and have a kind heart, willing to help others. Overall, this was a powerful novel that was enjoyable and brought a new perspective to my mind.
There is no doubt that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a social statement about the existence of slavery in a free country. Mark Twain, didn’t intend to write such a controversial book but couldn’t resist denouncing slavery. He supports his arguments with characters whose personalities are caricatures of southern attitudes. Twain subtly uses historically accurate events and mindsets to allow readers to relate to Huck and Jim’s struggles and understand the immorality of the time period. The last way he supports his argument is to develop some characters as people while leaving others behind to compare their growth. Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, holds many allusions to Twain’s stance on the hypocritical nature of his free country when it comes to slavery.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a story following the journey of a runaway slave named Jim and Huck Finn down the Mississippi River, is painted as a simple tale of adventure and coming of age. The story in fact serves a much more important role as a representation of the flaws of pre-civil war American society. Showing the horrors of slavery and the backwards notions of education and civilization. Through Mark Twain’s use of irony, his critical views on society’s instillment of negative ideals, its confinement of natural life, and its injustices are portrayed.
The Antebellum period of pre-Civil War America was filled with racial tension where enslaved African Americans were treated as property. The early to mid 1800’s was a time when an entire race of people were written off as inferior. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, depict pre-Civil War American life in the heart of the south by following Huckleberry Finn, a young teenage boy, and a runaway slave Jim on their adventure up and down the Mississippi River. During the novel, Huck struggles with the discrepancy between his “sound heart and deformed conscience” (Mark Twain). Huck does not know which to to follow, his conscience or his heart, the first which is telling him to treat Jim and other African Americans harshly and inferior as he has been taught or the second which tells him to treat Jim as human and not property. Huck’s heart is leading him away from what society is telling him to do where as his conscience is telling him to conform to what to he knows. Through Huck’s character development, Twain categorizes his novel as a story where the heart wins over the conscience, ultimately suggesting that society corrupts individual thoughts and actions.
In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck longs for an uncivilized life. The boy dislikes many societal norms such as religion and school, preferring to go out on his own and explore the world . At Widow Douglas’s house, Huck feels trapped and cannot act like himself since she imposes very strict rules on him. Instead he longs for his rags and old adventures with Tom Sawyer because he misses the worry free life. The concept of civilization feels out of place for Huck due to his father getting drunk almost every day, not caring about the wellbeing of his son. Without a male role model , nobody teaches the boy how to act properly amongst men. Huck was never brought up as an educated boy since he believed a simple life leads to happiness . Having a good heart is a characteristic most human beings lack, but this is not the case with Huck. His choice of not turning Jim in shows that he understands the great struggle inferior citizens experience . Both Huck and Jim search for a unique identities as minorities. Huck rejects civilization in order to liberate himself from a restrictive society full of uniformity and hypocrisies . Most Southern citizens in the 1800s lack individuality due to the majority of humans following one another, leading to a decreased amounts of risks . Therefore, this contrasts with Huck’s drive to experience new environments and his unrivaled desire to learn about the world. He does not agree with society's unfair rules and desires to see life
In the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, author Mark Twain sparked the debate about racism and southern ideals. At the time, many southerners were avidly religious, yet they would still own and whip slaves. Twain discusses this irony in southern white society, as well as the downsides of their rapidly declining moral conscience, extreme cruelty, and the hypocrisy of the seemingly cultured people.