Huckleberry Finn Research Paper

To conclude, the classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the most influential works of the nineteenth century. The book has many deeper meanings, but the most apparent is that society (at the time) is/was deeply flawed, and requires the reader to truly evaluate certain events. Some of these occurrences include a circus, a raving mob, and an unruly family that spends their lives hunting other humans. So, the tale of Huck Finn is one that should carry its message on beyond

Twain decries the greedy and materialistic nature of society through the employment of pathos, which highlights the immorality of mankind. When the King and the Duke come up with their master plan to swindle money from the grieving Wilkes family, Huck realizes how avaricious they truly are. On page 164 Huck describes the way the King fools the crowd into believing he is a good person, “The King works

The critic Kenny Williams states that the Colonel Sherburn scene inThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark twain, “allow[s] a brief platform for Twain to express his own contempt for mobs in an era known for such activities and lawlessness.” This draws the attention to other scenes Twain uses to show his contempt for activities in society. In his novel Mark Twain uses characters and scenes to show his disdain for zealot faith, corrupt human nature, and blind adherence to law.

Twain attempts to show the reader that education is important to improve quality of life and avoid being exploited

When the two conmen attempt to swindle three young girls out of their inheritance Huck is so outraged the he decides he must put a stop to it pushing him further and further from people and society:

Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with sardonic references to acknowledge the errors in his society. During Twain’s time period, the U.S. government and the media slowly began to convince their citizens that they were veracious, however he sought to reveal that they were actually deceptive. Twain was determined to inform the American people about how apathetic the government leaders were, how the judicial system served injustice and how the media would indoctrinate anyone that listened to them.

In addition to this, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools because it teaches important moral lessons. Early on in the book, after Huck had come across Jim on Jackson Island, he’d decided to play a mean trick on him. He kills a rattlesnake and puts it on the foot of Jim’s blanket and expects that he will react like any stereotypical black person. “Jim’s eyes will bug out; his teeth will chatter; his knees will knock together,” (p.63) The joke turns bad when Jim gets bitten by the snake’s mate, and as a result Huck feels ashamed. But at this early point in the book, Huck doesn't blame himself because all his life, everyone around him had reiterated the idea that black people were property, not people, and they deserved

The incident involving the lynch mob in chapter twenty-two demonstrates the senseless and maniacal aspect of mob mentality with an outraged tone. Outrage, the act of wanton cruelty, is exposed through three elements of tone: diction, imagery, and details. Twain’s careful choice of words embodies the tone element known as diction. Through diction, this passage is able to reveal the outraged tone that is concealed within the narration and perspective of Huck. Twain selects precise words to illustrate the insanity of the mob as they furiously made their way to Sherburn’s house. He uses phrases such

Not able to and not wanting to fit the social norms of civilization, thirteen year-old Huckleberry Finn embarks on a journey with Jim, a runaway slave, to escape the ways of society and find a new standard of freedom.

One key lesson indicated is what’s easy, isn’t always the right thing to do. When Jim gets caught and brought to the Phelps’s house, Huck is faced with the dilemma of helping Jim escape, or to leave him there and write to his owner, Miss Watson. When Huck writes a letter, he feels “good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life,” (Twain 213). But after thinking back on all the kind things Jim has done to help him, Huck begins to feel conflicted. Realizing that sending the letter is only the easy way out, and the right thing to do is to help Jim is an important step for Huck. Huck’s shift in his decision to do what’s right, not what’s the easiest is a very important lesson to learn for all readers. Although the book is filled with problematic and racist statements, it does encourage equality between races, an important lesson at the time of it’s publishing. By creating Jim to be a much stronger father figure to Huck than his own father, it contradicts negative stereotypes about African Americans. Through writing about Huck overcoming his moral predicaments associated with helping Jim escape Missouri, Mark Twain encourages the audience to conquer these problems as well. Because of the moral messages The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is filled with, it helps to promote ethical behavior in society, an important concept in a classic novel. Through the obvious racist and

Huck is a child who raises himself therefore he relies on his own instinct to get him through life. Although many try and civilize Huck, he chooses to rebel not knowing that his own instincts are more moral than societies. Huck’s role in the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is an innocent child which illustrates how society constraints the individual from thinking for themselves in the civilized world. Society and Huck’s point of view on slavery, Huck’s point of view on civilization, and Huck’s relationship with his father depict the effects of a constraining society.

The geography of Missouri and the Island play a key role in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Over fall break, I went to Disney World. At Disney World, there is an island called Tom Sawyer’s Island. This island is meant to convey the ambiance of the 19th century world of Tom Sawyer. This island’s atmosphere can also be applied to the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that we read in class.

Part of the absurdity of civilized society that Twain depicts is that society's accepted rules

.” (Twain, ix) He openly and firstly acknowledges the irregularities in this story and explains that it is not on a whim that he uses this specific type of language but with the purpose to expose the world to a new and original form of literary design. The main character in this story is Huckleberry Finn, the complete opposite of a traditional European hero; he is not the typical king or nobleman that traditional stories tell of. He is an everyday boy uneducated and seemingly unworthy, Huckleberry Finn is the epitome of a real American every day hero. Mr. Twain writes this book as a way to show that just by simply maturing and growing up so that Huckleberry Finn can make the right decisions in all aspects of his life; it makes him a noble character. “We are asked to trust this not as a sport, but rather as a well-considered and well-honed document. . . We are invited to experience and to appreciate this narrative in terms of its thought, its thoughtfulness, and its craft.” (Fertel, 159 –Free and Easy”)

To fully understand the themes within Mark Twain’s novels we all must first understand his upbringing, where he was born, where he was raised, and what was going on within the era of his life. Samuel