The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a one of a kind novel. The novel has been debated as controversial since it has been published in 1986. It has been considered racist, due to the “n” word. In its earlier days, racist people felt this book was a disgrace, because of the mingling of the two main characters. Among all of the negative comments, this book is truly a masterpiece. It is an unforgettable and enjoyable book for everyone to learn and scrutinize; it contains a multitude of literary devices that makes this American Novel a classic with a meaningful American Story. The major literary devices in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn include historical context, dialect, and autobiographic. The characterization of Huck and …show more content…
The literary device, historical context can bee seen throughout this novel. “The book’s main plot evolved around the escape of Jim, a slave” (Wiener 36). Therefore, this book used the historic details of slavery and escaping from enslavement. Jim tells Huck that he has run off because Mrs. Watson was talking to a nigger trader about selling him for 600 dollars to New Orleans (Twain 53-54). Slaves were often traded off for money, and were forced to leave their family and friends without a say so. Jim was not going to tolerate the situation so he ran off in hopes of being free. Jim stated to Huck, he would go to a free state, save all his money to buy his wife and two children and would do anything it takes to get them (Twain 100-101). This was a plan many men did to help their families to get out of slavery. The historical context in the story illustrated the setting and time period, the 19th century.
In the South during the 19th century, there was a distinctive dialect people had based off where people lived and their race. Characters such as Huck and Jim had a different dialect, and others as well. Jim would state “I reck’n I know what I knows” (Twain. 90). He had an African American language style. While Huck would use reckon instead, a more southern white language style. “Mark Twain distinguished the characters by their speech” (McKay76). This exemplified the difference between the
In Chapter 14, Huck and Jim argue about why French people don’t talk the same way as American people. Jim’s argument is very rational; he says that French people and American people are both men so “‘why doan’ he talk like a man? You answer me dat!’” (14). Twain creates this seemingly trivial scene as an allegory to the fact that whites and blacks are both men, yet they are treated starkingly differently. In addition, Huck realizes “I see it warn’t no use wasting words—you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quit” (14). Huck believes he is smarter than Jim because society innately believes that white men are superior to blacks, yet Jim is wiser and more rational than Huck because Jim recognizes the faults in society that Huck overlooks because he is so accustomed to them. This scene also exemplifies that Huck’s morality hasn’t increased because he can’t see past society’s restricting lens, and recognize that Jim’s argument makes sense. Huck and Jim become separated because of the fog but after much panic and loneliness, they are later reunited. However, Huck pretends it never happened and calls Jim a “tangle-headed old fool” (25). Huck’s act of dishonesty towards Jim portrays the superiority that white men felt over blacks in this time. Although Jim believes Huck at first, Jim realizes that Huck lied and confronts him: “En all you wuz
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.
In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain juxtaposed events in American society to demonstrate to the reader contrasts between different levels of class and race in society.
Mitch Albom once said, “Strangers are just family you have yet to know.” Huckleberry Finn, of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, most likely would have agreed with this statement as his personal experience proved it to be true. Finn was a young 13 year old boy who did not have a mother, but a father whom he called “pap”. Pap was an abusive and ignorant human being, and someone Finn desperately wanted to get away from. Pap being his only real family, Finn relied on the people around him, and eventually took the role of a family member with them. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain shows that anyone could be thought of as family regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or blood-relation.
A timeless classic about the adventure of a young boy floating down the Mississippi River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a satire on established attitudes and values, particularly racism. Set at an easy reading level, this novel tells the epic adventure every young boy wishes he had. Not just Huck Finn’s coming of age story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is much more than what meets the eye. Peeled back layer by layer, it reveals messages that many overlook while reading. In particular, the significance of the run away slave, Jim, is undermined by many who read it. Jim has become one of the most controversial characters in American literature. Although, he is depicted as simple and trusting, maybe too trusting, Jim’s qualities
The Novel: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, makes a strong presence by its continued, if not redundant display of itself. Far too often in society people 's lack of knowledge on a given subject causes their opinions and actions to rely strictly on stereotypes created by the masses and often makes the people not willing to change how they view a certain people or situation. This is usually called ignorance, and it plaques societies everywhere and Mark Twain knows that and actively criticizes that. This is curable but people have to become open-minded and leave their reliance on society 's viewpoints behind them, which is unlikely to happen when people are
During this time period slavery was a normal circumstance that was widely accepted, which was greatly exposed in Twain’s novel. Although slavery is present throughout the text, Twain did not intend to recommend this idea, in fact it is believed that Twain was attempting to show the ignorance of white men in that time period for treating African Americans like slaves and seeing them as less than themselves. He shows us this through the character Jim, a runaway African American slave who was constantly reliable and honest to his friends Huck and Tom, even though they both seem to be disloyal to him at times. Jim constantly cared for, and did what was best for the two even if it meant giving up his own freedom. Jim was made to show the good qualities that were present in African Americans as other Caucasian characters represent the bad qualities in white men by degrading Jim and other African Americans. Through his novel, Twain exploits the idea that slavery should have never existed and it was a bad mistake by
In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the adventures are an important factor throughout the characters in the novel. As it progresses throughout the novel, readers start to enhance their understanding of each character and their adventures. However, some characters in the novel demonstrate more to which they reveal significant ideas that portray the author’s society. Huck, Jim and Tom’s adventures help to understand their society through the themes in their experiences. More specifically, the themes of growing up, morality, slavery, and freedom are all prime examples that help explore the social norms of their adventures.
When asked why he is hiding on the island, Jim talks about Miss Watson, his former owner, explaining, “she pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough… I hear ole missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans… I lit out mighty quick, I tell you” (53-54). Jim expresses his discontentment with being a slave. He feels mistreated and wishes to be free. His choice to escape was in part due to his love for his family, and wish to be together, but this passage reveals that he also left due to his fear of being sold and remaining in slavery. African Americans in the media were generally portrayed as docile and eager to work, an idea which this passage directly contradicts. When Jim thinks he is close to freedom, he exclaims, “[p]ooty soon I’ll be a-shout’n for joy, en I’ll say, it’s all on accounts o’ Huck; I’s a free man, en I couldn’t ever ben free ef it hadn’ ben’ for Huck; Huck done it. Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck” (101). Throughout the novel, Jim rarely talks about his desire to be free. Even Huck is taken aback by Jim’s sudden candor, knowing that Jim “wouldn’t ever dared to talk such talk in his life before” (101). When he is close to freedom, Jim expresses his elation at the prospect of his new life and his gratitude for Huck’s help. Twain’s use of tone in this passage conveys
Huck Finn grew up in an abusive home in which he has no control over. Huck does not wish to ever go back to such a hell since one knows about such a man to do such harsh things. You’re self-wellness by in which you grew upon throughout the years has turned you into the person you are today. The people you’ve been around, the friends you’ve made, and even the enemies you’ve made have made you who you are today. Huck Finn is like you in such a way. Always trying to figure what’s right and what’s wrong. Always trying to adjust to situations he is in for the better. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer, a young but brave kid, has made a gang in which he would like Huck to join. But in order for Huck to join he needs to start being more and more respectful to Ms. Watson who adopted Huck from his abusive father. Tom Sawyer, Ms. Watson, and other characters use this sort of morality building to help Huck with him being respectful to the other folk. Sounds similar, yes? Most of our parents and friends use these types of morality’s in religion, goals, warnings, holidays, and even sometimes themselves such as if you do what they did then you’ll be just as rich as them. Every Action, every word, everything you have received, felt, and have done build your sense of right and wrong.
Slavery is solely based on the fact that white people are more superior than black people. Huck and Jim defy odds by going against the overall perception of slavery to create an unbreakable bond in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Jim and Huck both are placed in depressing situations and soon realize they have nothing to lose. Pap is nothing but a drunk and a bad influence on Huck, which is why Huck fakes his death using the blood of a pig. As for Jim, he believes Miss Watson is going to break her promise of never selling him to New Orleans; his conscience convinces him to run because he doesn’t want to go to another plantation or location. Because both are fleeing oppressive societies, Jim and Huck create a
In the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, it is evident that civilization corrupts, rather than improves human beings. Huckleberry was brought up in with the accepted methods and ideals of society. He would face aspects like slavery, corruption and prejudicy on a daily basis, but still chooses his own individuality over society. Throughout his life, Huckleberry would solely rely on his own instincts and sense of right to guide him through life. He continues to follow his sense of right, not knowing that his instincts are more morally correct than those of society. Living in this type of environment, it would be expected for an individual to fall accustomed to society, but Huckleberry did not. He rose above the norms of society. Sometimes the people we least expect are the most humane of all.
Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, certain characters help influence the development of Huck’s morality immensely. For instance, Jim gave Huck a sense of loyalty and respect, Meanwhile Huck’s father and the con men Huck encountered allowed him to see how not to treat others and what not to value. With all these influences weighing on Huck, he was able to progressively learn how to choose between the rights and wrongs amongst the decisions made by himself and others around him. Huck’s moral development as a character is mostly credited to himself in learning how to analyze situations and people in his life and deciding whether or not they keep strong values and morality.
Is it possible for someone to change their views on something that has been instilled in them throughout their life? The novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, follows a white Southern boy, Huck, and his adventures with a slave named Jim. Huck grew up with a drunken, uneducated father, Pap, who constantly abused him when he wasn’t drinking. Ms. Watson, who owned Jim, took Huck in. One night, Pap kidnapped Huck and took him to a secret log cabin. In order to truly get away from Pap, Huck fakes his death and Pap is the one to blame. Coincidentally, Jim also escapes from Ms. Watson at around the same time. Huck and Jim find each other, and Huck agrees to help Jim, a runaway slave. For a southern, white boy to help a runaway
In the novel The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a theme of freedom is expressed. Freedom takes on a different view for each character in the novel. In Jim, the runaway slave, and Huck's, the troublesome boy, journey, they acquire freedom. Jim's hunt for freedom is an escape from slavery, while Huck's is a method to get away from the civilized world. Their search for freedom is for one reason, for their happiness. This is expressed throughout the novel in Jim's wish of escaping slavery and Huck's desire for being uncivilized.