Overview: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

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,

Oppression has been a problem in this country, dating all the way back to the Europeans traveling to the New World, and forcing themselves on the Native’s and famously the British oppression of the thirteen colonies. Oppression is still a serious problem today, with almost all minorities, such as women, African-Americans, and the LGBT community feeling it’s pressure. Although these groups have gained seen many changes in their freedom, they are still being oppressed. Oppression is a common theme throughout American Literature, weaving in and out of many that are seen as classic American novels and poetry. Some of these books include Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the poetry of Langston Hughes, Richard Wright’s Native Son and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. The form of oppression that is evident throughout all these works, is racial oppression, and narrowing it down even further, the oppression of African Americans.

A work of literature can be read by ten different people, and it will be understood ten different ways; Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is no exception. At the end of the novel, Tom reveals his plans for the “evasion” which is relatively immoral, but Tom and Huck would never know whether it was or was not. In addition to its blind cruelty, it is misleading in that it seems as if it is meant to be interpreted, which is one reason why it is constantly critiqued. Another reason it is hotly debated is due to its contextual inconsistency and the potential underlying meanings of those anomalies. The multiple possibilities it opens up to the reader can be interpreted in a variety ways and has been by many literary critics. By using the commentary made on the “evasion” by literary critics, and through examples drawn from the novel itself, it will become evident that Twain did not write the “evasion” for any consistent reason, other than to fit the inconsistency of his novel.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain criticizes a “sivilized” society, by depicting those who are considered “civilized” to be deceiving. Huckleberry Finn, also referred to as Huck, is the protagonist and the narrator of the story. He is influenced by many, but makes decisions that contradict societal norms. As the story develops, Twain employs dramatic, situational, and cosmic irony, as Huck overcomes difficult situations throughout his journey with Jim; a slave.

in the story Huck and Jim along with all of the other characters throughout the novel choose several different paths that each have their own impact on the story.The story starts with a decision made by Widow Douglas, Huck’s adoptive mother, forcing Huck to learn about the importance of religion and social values. When Pap Finn, the father of Huck and an alcoholic, heard about this he chose to go back to the town and tried to force Huck to stay away from school thinking that it was of no use. Being against his father, this action only motivated him to go to school even though he never wanted to. Angered by this his father abducted him and forced him to stay in a cabin beating him everytime he came home drunk. Finding a way to escape Huck, when his dad left, set up a breakin by puting the blood of and animal in the cabin, breaking the door, and dragged the animal across the ground to look like he had been murdered then escaped. After being stuck with the widow and his dad Huck realize he wanted to be free with no responsibilities at all. From this point on the decisions made by Huck and Jim revolve around escaping social judgment and live life of freedom and fun allowing Huck to grow with the ever changing scenarios. This choice allowed for many possibilities with a lot of twists and turns ending the story of another great

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the great books in America, written by Mark Twain in 1884. It’s a classic. This heart-wrenching, yet, heart-warming story is about friendship, religion, and man against society. The story is about and told by non other than Huckleberry Finn himself. Huck, as most called him is just a boy looking for an adventure and wanting to escape from his cruel, alcoholic father (Twain, Chapter 7). Huck eventually runs away from home, stages his own murder, and goes on the adventure he has always coveted (Chapter 8). He accidentally runs into Jim, continues the adventure with him and they form what will eventually be a very strong friendship. Throughout the book, Huck is at war with himself as to whether he should turn Jim in because he’s a runaway slave, despite the fact that he believes it’s the “right thing to do”.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain that focuses on the coming of age of a young boy in the mid 1800s in Missouri. Throughout the novel, the main character Huckleberry Finn faces many moral dilemmas through his adventure where his decisions affect the growth of his maturity and morality of his character. However, Huck Finn eventually shows that by the end of the novel that he has matured morally through his interactions and shared experiences with runaway slave Jim and reaches Stage 6 of Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory whereas at the start of the novel he was at Stage 1. Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory is a belief started by John Kohlberg that ranks the stage of morality that a human has based on social interactions from stages of 1 to 6. The first two stages of this theory is when a human makes moral decisions based on self-interests/conveniences, the next two stages is when decisions that are made are based off pleasing others, and the final two stages are decisions made based on what is right even if they break the social norms.

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

From the beginning of the story, Mark Twain, the author of the story Huckleberry Finn,

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a classic novel that has been read for decades. It is about a boy, Huckleberry Finn, who goes on an adventure down the Mississippi River. He runs away from his drunkard and abusive father by faking his death and escaping through a hole he sawed in the house. He canoes to an island where he finds Jim, a runaway slave that served a widow with whom Huck used to live. Together they travel down the river and come across many different people including robbers, "royalty", and Huck's friend Tom Sawyer. Mark Twain uses this novel to criticize certain institutions through satire including cultural, familial, and governmental institutions.

Since the beginning of civilization social structures among humans have always included a slave class usually consisting of those that have been conquered. This continued to be the norm for thousands of years up until three decades ago. In all cases of slavery it was deemed socially acceptable through some sort of justification usually related to religion or just the fact that there economy would probably collapse without it. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place 30 years before president Lincoln and the civil war when slavery and racism was thriving in america. Used for plantations to make the rich richer for free and justified through religion. This was the society in which Huck and his friend,a free slave, Jim had to live in and

There is an amazing disconnect between a conscious mind and the subconscious of a heart in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. In this novel, the mind represents a deformed conscience, but the heart is pure; the main figure in the story, Huckleberry, “Huck”, possess both characteristics. Among the many topics to debate within the novel, the question of whether this story is ruled by hope or cynicism determines the way the novel is read and interpreted. Although there are examples of lightness in this novel, Twain writes this novel with a predominantly dark mindset of humanity. He shows it through the the obtuseness and violence of humans through the Grangerfords, and materialistic ideals of the King and Duke and what they stand for; these characters represent major character flaws that are prominent in the entirety of the human race. He displays these characters in such a way, showing how common these vices are, and how they can appear in anyone. All of these dark character flaws seem tempting at first, Huck, a light character, always tries to escape them and the darkness of society.

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

Throughout the evolution of the world’s societies, the roles of women seem to act as a reflection of the time period since they set the tones for the next generation. Regardless of their own actions, women generally appear to take on a lower social standing and receive an altered treatment by men. In Mark Twain’s pre-civil war novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, lies a display of how society treats and views women, as well as how they function in their roles, specifically in regards to religion and molding the minds and futures of children. The novel’s showcase of women affords them a platform and opportunity to better see their own situation and break away with a new voice.