The American Dream in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay examples

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s in his novel The Great Gatsby commentates on the American Dream during the time in which he lived; central character Jay Gatsby was not born into the great wealth he is shown to have (Source A). The American Dream, to Fitzgerald, to the character he creates, and to every little boy or girl who dreams of a way up, is not having a wife, a dog, a child, and a sum of money; it is having the ability to acquire these things despite what you were born into. Those with little status and money living in the United States have always known they are free to pursue any venture, take any financial risk, work hard, and dream even harder. Just as Jay Gatsby was steadfast in his certainty that he would be prosperous in The Great Gatsby, Americans today know that with dedication and a good work ethic, there is nothing that can stop them from going after what they want. Hope and optimism is a reality of the American mindset because the path upwards is not covered and is not reserved for the wealthy; the American Dream is a reality in a sense that this path is in clear view, readily available for all those who wish to delight in what they can accomplish. Despite the

What truly is the “American Dream”? Furthermore, during the Great Depression, even the concept of the “American Dream” was not readily available and was no more than a fallacy at the time. For the 2 protagonists in Of Mice And Men, their dream, like many others, was to “live off the fatta the land” and become independent. However, this was not such an easy task at the time, not just because of the rough economic times, but because people of that era still had World War 2 still very fresh in their minds, with the harbored hatred and untrust that came along with it. Nevertheless, for the millions who died in the course of the war, this “American Dream” was not only something worth living for it was something dying for too. However, in the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author emphasizes that the dreams and hopes were delusions and has a grim outlook on living life in search of a dream.

Once again, the American dream has nothing to do with wealth, it is what you make of it. One of the best Presidents the U.S. has had, Ronald Reagan, states, “The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is it every man must be free to come whenever God intends he should become” (Ronald

The American Dream is an idea which usually includes something along the lines of anyone who does things right can be successful in America if they work hard enough regardless of their race, class, gender, or nationality. The only problem is that the American Dream does not account for issues in America like systematic racism, xenophobia, etc.; giving people a false sense of hope, or a misconstrued one. In addition, the issues presented were strongly visible during the 1920-1940’s eras; to find them one only has to look at the various issues going on at that time. The authors, John Steinbeck and Scott Fitzgerald offer the same negative point of view of the American Dream, as they both display through their characters the different ways in which it is unachievable or fictitious.

Writing in the article “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” Brandon King emphasizes “... a 2009 New York Times survey found that 72 percent of Americans still believed it was possible to start poor, work hard, and become rich in America” (King 573). A plethora of Americans spend most of their lives to working hard, they may not be working the same job, but they are working. Americans are choosing different career paths every day, which means that the “American Dream” is truthly about citizens creating their own American dream. Johnson, writer for the website Sunfell recognizes that, “Happiness and the reality of the American Dream are found in abandoning the false dream, and creating one of your own” (Johnson par. 9).

It’s strange how people’s views on things can affect the way of other’s lives and the environment it creates for everyone. Everyone has different views and beliefs and that is what makes people question what is right and wrong to belief in. It is the same thing when it comes to music. Music can affect the ways people feel and think about things and music changes and adapts to the time it is in.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Prologue by Anne Bradstreet, and “On Being Brought from Africa to America” and “A Farewell to America” by Phillis Wheatley, three very iconic works, that at first glance do not seem to be connected at all; however if one digs deeper they will uncover that these intertwine very well. All come from extremely different time periods; but they deal with one central issue. That issue being an identity crisis or the works have a character working to find out who they really are. Seeing that the idea of identity crises spans over 400 years, it is clearly a pressing issue throughout history. It is an issue that continues to be a problem still today.

Themes to a book can be easy to spot. But going deeper into the pages really defines a novel. One will pick up on things like an author is leaving little breadcrumbs behind for the reader to pick up on. Now, when analyzing text to a book, you must chunk it, small pieces at a time, so one can really dig deep into the pages of the book. So deep one can pry the staples out of the book. Take Chapters 17 and 18 of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for example.

From the start of the book till the end you can tell that many of the customs the people practice and preach are very backwards and hypocritical. The society is depicted as a bunch of concepts that defy logic. This flawed logic appears early in the novel, when the new judge allows Pap to receive custody of Huck not thinking about the welfare of the boy only that Pap has “rights” to his son being his biological father. At the same time Twain is bringing up the fact that this legal system puts the rights of a white man and his “property” or slave over the welfare of a black man. Twain is comparing Huck being forced to go with Pap to the fact that white slave owners forced black men and women into slave labor. Twain implies that it is impossible for a society that owns slaves to be just, no matter how “civilized” that society believes and proclaims itself to be. As the book progresses Huck encounters individuals who appears to be knid hearted on the surface, but are only later revealed to be prejudice slave owners. This shaky sense of justice that Huck repeatedly encounters lies at the heart of society’s problems: terrible acts go unpunished, yet frivolous crimes, such as drunkenly shouting insults, lead to executions. Sherburn’s speech to the mob that has come to lynch him accurately summarizes the view of society Twain gives in Huckleberry Finn: rather than maintain collective welfare, society

One main theme in the book is Natural life through freedom of spirit. This theme is proven throughout the book and the main character Jim and Huck find their way to be free Americans. Proving the fact that Jim was mistreated, Miss Watson wanted to sell him to the south; “He judged it was all up to him anyway it could be fixed; for if he didn’t get saved he would get drownded; and if he did get saved, whoever saved him would send him back home so as to get the reward, and Miss Watson would sell him to the south, sure. Well he was right; he was most always right; he had such an uncommon level head for a n*****.”(Twain 235) Unfortunately this is the reason why slaves broke away. It wasn’t because they couldn’t handle the work, it was due to the fact people

Despite the resolution of the divisive issue of slavery at the end of the Civil War, when the 13th amendment to the Constitution passes, the issue of racism continues from that point on and remain prevalent today. In Mark Twain 's realistic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the lack of depth involving the characterization of Jim as well as other slaves and their relationships, causes a direct focus on the satirization of romanticism, while the issue of slavery and racism come second, which reveals Twain’s short sightedness. Due to Twain’s widely known stories, his sphere of influence affects young and old with the ideas he portrays, and so by the reduction of a prevalent and long spanning issue in favor of another arguably less important issue, African Americans once again fail to achieve their desired equality for another couple decades.

The Mississippi River assumes many important roles in the story and creates compelling evidence to refer itself as a major character. Not only does the river create the setting for the adventures and sets itself up as the backbone of each episode and story, it has the power to propel the story forward and forces the characters into situations as they follow the flow of the water. Indirectly it causes the characters to grow and adapt to face each new circumstance and help further develop their morals and face the differences of what they perceive as right and wrong. Yet the most prominent symbol it represents, freedom, becomes a recurring, heavily debated topic as it provides both negative influences and positive influences on the main characters at any given moment during the story. Undeniably, the most influential piece of the story becomes the river as it has an unwavering presence throughout each episode, as it can connect each fragment of the story and piece it together as a structured whole. In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the almost constant presence of the river mimics the twists and turns of life to measure and show the growth and maturation of each prominent character throughout their adventures to provide an example that each of one’s experiences can change their perspective on the world around them.

Nature serves as a source of security and safety for those who seek a place to feel content. As a person faces the hardships of life, he or she may return to nature in order to organize thoughts or to clear the mind. Nature may also lead to new ideas, which fail to present themselves before exposure to an outdoor environment. If people traverse away from the busyness of society and toward the calmness and serenity of nature, they find new ideas and interpretations, which spark creative thought. In Mark Twain 's 19th century novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain utilizes the Mississippi river to reveal the importance of taking in the simple aspects of nature in order to escape from the constraints of society. Therefore, people should take moments to enjoy nature in order to spark new thoughts and ideas and to feel safety and security.

During the late 19th century everything was changing. African Americans had recently gained rights as well as the new notion of a common goal that all Americans shared. They all shared a dream, the American Dream. Mark Twain, in his American Realistic novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, utilizes The American Dream in order to portray its influence on 19th century life.

The popular American capitalist, Warren Buffett, has set the standard for many people by reaching the American Dream for most; from the moment young Warren Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska, he had always targeted high and worked harder than anyone, to reach those infinite goals. Many people have different perspectives on what the “American Dream” really means. To some people, being rich, having fame, a happy family, or a healthy lifestyle is what people consider being the American Dream. However, someone like Warren Buffett appears to define the American Dream as having fun with making money rather then the rewarding results that comes from it. Warren Buffett