The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, indeed, a magnificent piece of work. Having said that, Mark Twain wrote this book with qualities that, without a doubt, classify it as a regional text. Twain illustrates specific features of the South such as geography, culture, dialect and characters, which, in turn, aid in adding flare to this notable style of writing. Twain captures the South remarkably through his depiction of the geography in a specific region, which in this case is the Mississippi River. That being said, the majority of the story takes places on this river. As the story unravels, Mark deploys a colorful description, if you will, to describe, as well as portray, the people and places along the river that Huck and Jim encounter. …show more content…
As stated before, this had to do with the fact that slaves were at the bottom of the chain, for a lack a better term. According to Finn, “Afterwards Jim said the witches bewitched him and put him in a trance, and rode him all over the state, and then set him under the trees again and hung his hat on a limb to show who done it” (109). As a reader, it may seem a bit obnoxious to hear such nonsense. However, this exact rubbish is what helps capture the reasoning behind a certain group of people located in a certain area. Slavery was, nonetheless, still a controversial issue following the Civil War. Mark Twain explicitly expressed the attitudes of the Southern people towards slaves and slavery. That being said, the reader is able to see the beliefs and culture of a certain group people, meaning the Southerners. This is evident in the scene were Huck and Pap are in the cabin. Pap is disgusted by the fact that blacks can vote. By doing this, Twain, perhaps, was depicting what an average Southerner thought on the subject. The dialect found in this work is an explicit example of why it is considered a regional text. Even before the story commences, Mark Twain states, “In this book a number of dialects are used, to wit; the Missouri negro dialect; the extremest form of backwoods South-Western dialect; the ordinary “Pike-County dialect; and four modified varieties of this last” (105). This is self-evident that the dialect that is being used
Huck has a grim attitude toward people he disagrees with or doesn't get along with. Huck tends to alienate himself from those people. He doesn't let it bother him. Unlike most people Huck doesn't try to make his point. When Huck has a certain outlook on things he keep his view. He will not change it for anyone. For instance in Chapter Three when Miss Watson tells Huck that if he prayed he would get everything he wished for. “Huck just shook his head yes and walked away telling Tom that it doesn't work because he has tried it before with fishing line and fishing hooks.” This tells us that Huck is an independent person who doesn't need to rely on
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a piece of fiction that is so strongly written it can be conceived as the truth. Mark Twain’s ability to paint a clear and realistic picture of the Southern way of life in 1885 is unparalleled in any author. The story of Huckleberry Finn is one that gives ample opportunity for interesting sights into the South at that time. The story consists of Huck and a runaway slave, along with two men and Huck’s faithful friend Tom Sawyer and some points of the novel, floating down the Mississippi’s shores and encountering different feats of Southern culture, tragedy, and adventure. A nice example of Twain’s ability to turn an event on a river into an analysis of Southern culture is a fun bit of the story where Huck
From Star Wars to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn timeless classics exist in multiple contrasting formats and outlines. They all come in with their own unique stories and differences that make each one a must read. However, there are many things that make one timeless classic similar to another. Two important criteria that make a timeless classic include the kind of experiences it presents and the well-rounded symbols it uses to enhance the theme. These two criteria are important for a timeless classic to be relevant because they can directly correlate with the life of a reader or send them a valuable message; this is exactly what Harper Lee presents in To Kill A Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is undoubtedly a timeless classic as depicted through the vivid and well rounded symbols it presents to enhance themes and the relevant, relatable experiences the protagonist Scout undergoes, which can directly be applied to any person even in the present day.
“The story is told from Huck’s point of view, and his narrative voice is a remarkable mixture of bad grammar, slang, homespun wisdom, and lyrical attentiveness to nature” (Bloom 22). In the novel, Twain uses southern dialect to reflect the time period and location in which it was written (James).
Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an exciting and seemingly light-hearted story, Mark Twain wrote the book to expose the systemic flaws in antebellum American society. One of its major themes is hypocrisy. Twain used a satirical approach to uncover the racial and religious hypocrisy of the South.
People from the south, especially the deep south like Missouri didn’t want to be seen in that kind of way. They felt like they were more than just some racist and uneducated fools. Pearl James assertion of how “Twain creates the impression of American folk culture through his use of dialect and phonetic spelling, which mimics speech, rather than writing” is valid because in the real world people are not all the same, everyone is different. Their actions are different the way they speak and the vocabulary is different. Twain wanted to use this information and put it into his writing. He creates various dialects to all the characters he adds into his novel. For example, one reason why this book was first band from schools and libraries was because it had a vigorous debate over the numerous appearance of the “N” word. As awful and disrespectful word that is, Twain used it over and over again throughout the novel. The reason being was because that’s how people talked back then. He wanted his novel to be as accurate as he can make it. Furthermore, without the use of this word the novel and dialect would change dramatically. It wouldn’t seem to give it that extra kick to make the reader feel like they were there listening to the character’s conversation. He uses this specific type of language to access the culture and to accurately define a character and to make it more believable, complex, and therefore dignified. Or it can make them seem merely uneducated, and caricatured.
Huckleberry Finn is also lifted into great literary status by Twain’s compelling use of symbolism. An example of this symbolism is the Mississippi River. Throughout the novel, the river symbolizes life’s journey and, eventually, Huck’s natural integrity. It represents a place of ease and safety for both Huck and Jim. There is a major difference between their life on the river and their life on the land. On the river, life for Huck is peaceful and easy yet not without its dangers, whilst life on the land is most often cruel, demanding, and deceitful. Another example is how life on the raft is a paradox because, even
Growing up in the 1870s, Twain’s society was much different than growing up now. He grew up during the outbreak of the civil war and he lived during the time of major cynical political corruption that began in the late 1860s all the way to 1900. He was also raised during a time where slave-holding was acceptable, and encouraged. Under his father’s influence, he was told that slavery was justified through biblical principles. The majority of people in Hannibal, where Twain grew up, thought this and was the reason why everyone was proslavery.
Twain also exposes the deplorable concept of slavery by allowing Huck to view Jim as an equal person. As the novel proceeds, Huck and Jim continue their voyage down the Mississippi River and become close friends. Huck eventually has to decide whether or not to turn Jim in to Miss Watson. " And I got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me all the time: in the day and
Twain’s use of colloquial, homespun diction to veil Huck’s enlightened views on slavery and racism in the novel, creating an
Almost all novels depict morals or the author's view on any given subject. Although many people start to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn thinking that it is a simple novel on a boy's childhood, they soon come to realize that the author, Mark Twain, expresses his opinions on multiple important, political issues. Twain touches on subjects such as slavery, money and greed, society and civilization, and freedom. From the time of its publication, Huckleberry Finn has been distinguished as a novel with prodigious political positions and messages. Throughout the novel, Twain continuously shows the hypocrisy and absurdity of civilized society.
“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” (Twain, ix) Mark Twain opens his book with a personal notice, abstract from the storyline, to discourage the reader from looking for depth in his words. This severe yet humorous personal caution is written as such almost to dissuade his readers from having any high expectations. The language in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is completely “American” beyond the need for perfect grammar. “Mark Twain’s novel, of course, is widely considered to be a definitively American literary text.” (Robert Jackson,
Twain sticks to dialect suitable for the geographical location of Huckleberry Finn. The deep southern drawl is portrayed by phonetic spelling; “I hain’t got no money”, and the lack of complex vocabulary offers an insight into Huck’s deprivation of learning in his early years. In the 1800’s, illiteracy was a hugely common aspect among the general population, education was still only associated with the rich. This meant a very low percentage of people could gain access – which explains Pap’s taunting attitude towards Huck’s brief stint of schooling during his time with the widow.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been called one of the greatest American Novels and considered a masterpiece of literature. The book is being taught by teachers across the country for years. Now, Huckleberry Finn, along with other remarkable novels such as Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird, is being pulled off the shelves of libraries, out of schools and banned from classrooms because it has been considered unsuitable and racist for today's youth. An classic American novel like this book should not be banned from schools; it shows history, growth and friendship.
To many readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is known as the “Great American Novel”. It tells a story about a young boy and an escaped slave who develop an unlikely friendship while traveling down the Mississippi River. Twain explores many American literature themes in his writing. Three themes that appear frequently throughout the novel are freedom, nature, and individual conscience.