Satire In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

The use of Satire in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In his novel the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1884, Mark Twain uses satire frequently as a medium to display his feelings on a range of issues related to society at that time. Throughout the book he ridicules many aspects of society, including the prevalent views on slaves and religion, and their social structure. Even though the novel was set fifty years before it was published, the themes still held true for contemporary society. This led to the novel being criticised widely as a result of it condemning the very society it was presented to.

Since its first publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven to be one of history’s most controversial novels; especially recently, the novel has often been banned by schools and censored by libraries. Characters in the book are constantly using disparaging language toward slaves, and the repeated use of the word “nigger” makes many sensitive and offended. Critics denounce the novel and Mark Twain as racist for this word being insulting and politically incorrect and for its depiction of black people and how they are treated. However, Twain was not attempting to perpetuate racism; on the contrary, he used satire to expose the ignorance and paradoxical views held by many in America at that time.

The hard work and patience needed for writing this detailed novel proves how determined Twain was to be entirely accurate in his writing. Twain wrote an explanatory about the dialects used in the novel before the first chapter. He writes, “The shadings have not been done in a haphazard fashion, or by guesswork; but pains-takingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech.” (Twain Explanatory) Twain put in a lot of effort and time to make the novel as unique and special as it is. Alas, with every unique and special thing, there are some who disagree with this novel. Accused of being racist and vulgar, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been banned in some schools. Twain’s brutal honesty and accuracy of how white Americans treated African Americans is also what makes the novel unique and special. The effort and time put into this novel, the honesty about the time and social life of the 1800s, and the accuracy and details of this novel is what makes it such an artistic

These social injustices are even more evident when Huck and Jim have to make landfall, and this provides Twain with the chance to satirize the socially correct injustices that Huck and Jim encounter on land. The satire that Twain uses to expose the racism and injustice of society develops along with the adventures that Huck and Jim have.

According to Ernest Hemingway, "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." Along with Hemingway, many others believe that Huckleberry Finn is a great book, but few take the time to notice the abundant satire that Twain has interwoven throughout the novel. The most notable topic of his irony is society. Mark Twain uses humor and effective writing to make The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a satire of the American upper-middle class society in the mid-nineteenth century.

Year after year The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel takes place in the south during the year 1845. With his abusive father, and no mother, Huck is left feeling lonely, and as if he has place to call his home. So he decides to leave town, and on in his journey where he encounters a slave he’s familiar with, Jim, who is also running away. This story captures their relationship and growth as they face many obstacles on their way to freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn satirizes people’s greed and violent behavior by mocking the stereotype of southern hospitality.

Mark Twain went against endless amounts of criticism about his racist’s comments in his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The character of Jim is demeaning to African-Americans as he is portrayed as a foolish, uneducated, black slave. The “n” word is also used in the book describing him and many other African-American characters in the story. However, some see this book as anti-racist and believe that the use of racist’s comments is not racist at all. Those who think that are mistaken because Huck Finn in clearly a racist novel.

     There is a major argument among literary critics whether the adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is or is not a racist novel. The question focus on the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and the way he is treat by Huck and other characters. The use of the word “nigger” is also a point raised by some critic, who feel that Twain uses the word too often and too loosely. Mark Twain never presents Jim in a negative light. He does not show Jim as a drunkard, as a mean person or as a cheat.

The Use of Satire in Huck Finn The use of satire and irony is very evident in the novel Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain uses these examples to get his point across and show all that is corrupt in the world. In many instances, he pokes fun of the characters and their actions to criticize American society. Most of his targets of criticism throughout the novel are greed, civilization, and religion.

Mark Twain has always been one of the most controversial authors of all time. Though in recent years, there has been increasing controversy over the ideas expressed in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In some extreme cases the novel has even been banned by public school systems and censored by public libraries. The basis for this censorship is the argument that Mark Twain's book is racist, but in reality Twain was against racism and used this book to make people aware of what was going on in the south. He did this by using the regional dialect of the south, showing the attitude of the other characters in the novel toward black people, and showing his depiction of black characters. If one were to "read between the lines"

As a society, we want to actively avoid controversy with racism and hide things away as “There can be no doubt that the stark reality of racism in America, past and present, is embarrassing, troubling, infuriating, and generally uncomfortable.” (DelFattore). However, omitting and changing the story to hide this uncomfortable truth makes the story lose a center point of using satirical content and using such wording to make fun of the ignorant racist. Many state that Twain himself was a racist but Jocelyn Chadwick states in “Why Huck Finn Should be in Classrooms,” “We cannot, therefore, overlook the works of Twain that do address the issues of race and stereotype. Clearly, Twain used his writing to work through issues of race for himself and his society, and when I read Twain's satires, I feel that he "gets it."

Although people disagree over what makes someone morally “good” or morally “bad,” most people can agree that caring and compassion are good qualities while intolerance and selfishness are bad qualities.  Mark Twain uses satire in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to amplify the good and bad qualities of people.  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn exposes Twain’s thoughts on human nature by showing undesirable qualities of people in the racist white people and showing preferable qualities in the African-American slave, who is a victim of racism.  The racist white people are portrayed by Twain as prejudice and egotistic while Jim portrays compassion.

Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, and it has been a controversial piece of American literature ever since. In this novel we see Huck and Jim go through a series of events, on there adventure to freedom, covering different aspects of culture and society in the United States in that time period. One of the main aspects being slavery and racism, the reader’s interpretation of the theme of race is largely determined by how they understand the character of Jim. An uninformed reader may take Twain’s rendering of Jim as racist and uneducated. People may say Twain is being racist with how Huck or other characters talk about Jim, using derogatory terms like “Nigger”, but I believe that Twain uses Jim to expose

    Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is perhaps one of the most controversial novels the North American Continent has ever produced.  Since its publication more than a hundred years ago controversy has surrounded the book.  The most basic debate surrounding Twain's masterpiece is whether the book's language and the character of Jim are presented in a racist manner.  Many have called for the book to be banned from our nation's schools and libraries.  Mark Twain's novel is about a young boy who was raised in the south before slavery was abolished, a place where racism and bigotry were the fabric of every day life.  The novel is the account of how Huck Finn, who is a product of these

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is an adventure story, a coming of age book and a satire. Throughout the entire book Huck tells of his adventures in town with his pap and traveling down the river with Jim; Huck wrestles with his conscience on the rights and wrongs of racism, and slavery showing the coming forth of a new generation's new way of thinking. The satire that Twain uses to expose the hypocrisy, racism, greed, and injustice of society develops along with the adventures Huck has. The reflection of society everyone is able to see should make people question the world people live in. Twain satirizes many aspects of society, religion, romanticism, and small town ideals of that time.