Huckleberry Finn And Lying Analysis

“That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth” (1). Those are among the first lines in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so it’s obvious from the very beginning that the truth, or lack thereof, is a major theme in the book.

Part of the reason that makes Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain a masterpiece is because of the way he forced the readers to fondle the details to find a greater meaning. He places details in the language for the readers to further their understanding of the characters and get a good feel for the setting of the novel. Twain places a heavy emphasis on Jim’s dialect, he does this by making Jim’s speech hard to read and digest. He does this to show Jims place in society, his level of education, and to show how most slaves during the time period talked. Twain also uses his language to show how slaves were treated in different states and to show the amount of education they receive. For example

Satire can be found everywhere around us, not just in our English classes. For instance, satire can be found in many television shows, newspaper articles, comics and many other places. Satire is used to criticize people`s stupidity or foolishness among many different issues through the use of irony, humor, and other rhetorical strategies. In other words, its main purpose is to mock a certain subject or person to expose the main issue to the audience. For instance, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain demonstrates the use of various rhetorical strategies, such as ironic and humorous language to satirize southern society`s hypocrisy toward education, religion and racism.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been banned from many schools and public libraries due to the use of racial slurs. Although these slurs are frowned upon now, they were a normal part of the society shaped Huckleberry (Huck) Finns life. The world Huck Finn grew up in is before the abolition of slavery. This is when the states is begun to separate, but the civil war is not yet stirring. Huckleberry’s life was influenced by his small town of St. Petersburg, the time period he lived in, and certain people.

In the instance where Huck dresses up like a girl and speaks with the farmer's wife in an effort to find out what is being said about their situation, the information that he gets ultimately saves them from the capture of a search party. Even though he is caught in the first lie and it is discovered that he is actually a young boy rather than a girl, Huck manages to convince the woman that he is simply a run away. He quickly creates a new and better lie, and she has no idea about his true identity. In this instance of lies that Huck tells, there is no victim. Huck learns crucial information that he would have never gotten through honesty, and with this information he is able to continue on his journey with Jim.

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, has many similarities to Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie.” Ericsson’s essay condemns humanity’s ability to lie without remorse and gives examples of the ways people deceive each other. Huckleberry Finn, a young boy who doesn’t follow many rules, lies constantly and consistently uses many of Ericsson’s examples of lies. Because Huckleberry Finn takes place in the 1830’s, it is easy to identify many stereotypes and cliches in this novel, Ericsson’s essay portrays this as a form of lying. When Jim and Huckleberry were on the raft floating away from their town, Huckleberry came to a conclusion that Jim was “uncharacteristically” smart. Huckleberry stated, “He had an uncommon level head for a nigger”

Mark Twain once said, "Lie--an abomination before the Lord and an ever present help in time of trouble." Twain's description of deceit gives it a type of double meaning. This idea of lying being used for good as well as evil is not unheard of. Many time people find it necessary to lie to maintain a greater good or save a life. However, all too often, people lie for self-serving, immoral purposes. In this quote, Twain elegantly shows the delicate balance between good and evil in the performance of the same act. Furthermore, Twain also shows this complex thought in his portrayal of characters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twains novel emulates his quote, juxtaposing the good and bad aspects of stretching the truth. Throughout

Huck's lies were meant to be for the greater good, in contrast to lies told to trick and deceit characters in the book. The Duke and the King are the perfect symbols of evil liars. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, they intentionally attempted to scam people for their own personal gain. For example, the King and the Duke impersonate Wilk's two English brothers to get money from a family who just lost a family member.

It is noted throughout the book; “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, that the main protagonist has much to learn in able to grow as a person. Due to Huckleberry’s encounters with the Duke and King, Huckleberry came to the realization that he should not take advantage of people and that lying only gets you into trouble.

Mark Twain seems to be more forgiving towards characters who have used necessary deception than the ones who have acted, in some way, hypocritical. Though hypocrisy and deception are both looked at as pessimistic actions in our society, Twain points out that sometimes lying or bending the truth is necessary in some cases. In a perfect world there would be no need for anyone to bend the truth, but this isn't a perfect world and Twain knows it. There is greed, selfishness, and no telling who can be trusted. Since there are such people in the world, Twain seems to find that deception, or the process of misleading others, is necessary at times for people have the potential of doing selfish and greed driven things, like Huck's father.

The main character and narrator in Huckleberry Finn wrestles with the dilemma irrevocable, cruel action as opposed to their claim of using their lies for good instead of evil. Everyone lies. In the South Huck is in the midst of slavery, he feels forced to be dishonest about his identity in order to protect Jim. Huck has grown close to the runaway slave. Though Huck deceives almost everyone in this novel, his lies have different results depending on the scenario. Twain used Huck’s actions with the woman, Aunt Sally, in St. Petersburg and Jim throughout the book to suggest when lying is necessary and where it is not. When lying is necessary it doesn’t always have negative consequences and pointless lies do.

He mainly lies about his identity to keep Jim safe, but there were additional instances in which Huck fibbed to help others. For example, early on in the story, Huck and Jim steal a boat that belonged to bad men, robbers in fact. The two left the thieves to their death, until Huck’s conscience starts to get the best of him. He does not want to tell the watchmen that he stole a boat in which belonged to robbers, so instead he told a noble lie that would help save the robbers. He tells the men that Miss Hooker lost her oar and needed aid at sea. Later on Huckleberry is proud of himself and “wished the widow knew about it. [Huck] judged she would be proud of [him] for helping these rapscallions” (Twain). Huck’s confidence in his act of lying is Twain’s way of making lies more acceptable. Even though Huck did not tell the truth and told a tall tale, he was still saving others from death, making lying seem

“The situation of the orphan is truly the worst, you’re a child, powerless, with no protectors or guides. It’s the most vulnerable position you can be in, to see someone overcome those odds tells us something about the human spirit. They are often depicted as the kindest or most clever of characters.” Michelle Boisseau describes how important these types of characters are. In a Sunday Times article, she states that a lot of the stories and novels are considered to be apologues about orphans becoming the hero of the book. Huck’s story is quite like this subject. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel written by Mark Twain, it’s about a boy named Huckleberry Finn, who sets

“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,

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (published in 1885), considered a classic of American-literature, and to some the zenith of American realism in literature and the apex of satirical writing in history, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven itself as a milestone in the history of literature and a turning point in American literature. The garnering of such acclaim, and accolades were due to The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn possibly being the most poignant and successful critique on society every put into writing. Twain does not waste any time with sophomoric cant in his meditation, but instead critiques the inherent cant present in society and the people entertaining this cant throughout that time; showing