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Isolation In Huckleberry Finn

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When In Isolation There is No Slavery
Mark Twain wrote his novel after slavery was made illegal, and the choice to set this story in a time when slaves were still held is significant to the stories plot. The novel took place in Missouri when it was still a slave state and helped to establish the theme of isolation in the novel. Twain was able to express his beliefs on slavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the idea that when isolated away from prejudice, race is no longer an important factor. Twain's childhood experiences helped him establish the storyline of his novel into the way it is. Twain's family had gone through a rough time when he was younger. In 1847 John Clemens, Twain's father, died; causing his mother to become …show more content…

After his father passed ¨the Clemens family 'now became almost destitute' wrote biographer Everett Emerson, and was forced into years of economic struggle—a fact that would shape the career of Mark Twain,¨ (Biography). When his father passed, it caused Twain to keep up with his schooling until the age of 12. This is due to ¨his [fatherś death] and the family needing a source of income—he found employment as an apprentice printer at the Hannibal Courier, which paid him with a meager ration of food. In 1851, at 15, he got a job as a printer and occasional writer and editor at the Hannibal Western Union, a little newspaper owned by his brother, Orion¨(Biography). Because of all that had happened in Twain's life he was able to find his way into becoming an author. When Twain was younger he witnessed the actions toward slaves often in Missouri. He once saw there ¨was a dozen men and woman chained together waiting to be shipped down river to the slave market¨(Aftunion). Many of these memories became ¨some of his most lasting childhood memories,¨ and then later put into his …show more content…

When Twain was a child he spent every summer at his Uncleś nearby farm where he and his cousins would go to ¨the cabin of an old slave they all called "Uncle Dan'l" who thrilled them with ghost stories and introduced them to spirituals and jubilees ¨(Aftunion). Ron Powers once stated that 'race was always a factor in Twain's consciousness' partly because black people and black voices were the norm for him before he understood there were differences. ¨ (Aftunion) When he was younger these voices were ¨the most powerful, the most metaphorical, the most vivid storytelling voices of his childhood.¨ (Aftunion) Twain had grown up with black people who he respected and he seemed to actually see them as people. He helps incorporate his beliefs about slaves, that they should be treated the same as others and that they have feelings, throughout the story. In the story Twain demonstrates his beliefs on religion when the king goes to the church ¨And then he busted into tears, and so did everybody. Then somebody sings out. ´Take up a collection for him, take up a collection!¨ Wel, half a dozen made a jump to do it, but somebody sings out, ´Let him pass the hat around!´ Then everybody said it, the preacher too¨ (Twain 133). Twain wanted to show the church as gullible. Once the king told them the story and started to cry they were quick to try to help him even though it was just

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