The Main Themes of 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,

It turns that Huck was not alone. Just the fact to somebody that they have bad luck can very well get in their head. And in the story it is also very clear that Huck’s slave, Jim, is also very superstitious. Of course, he was not near as bad as Huck, yet he still had a dose of it also. A prime example of this is when Jim was apparently bewitched and put in a trance and rode all over the state and country (Twain 6). However Jim was never really bewitched, it was just a joke played all along by Huck. Another great example of superstition is when Jim began asking the hairball questions about Pap, Huck’s Father, and at first it was not answering. Jim told Huck that in order to get an answer he needed to give it money, therefore Huck gave Jim a quarter and then Jim starts telling Huck all the answers he’s been asking (Twain 18). The importance of this shows a little of Jim’s superstition, and it also shows the way Jim sees things different than Huck. It is clear that Jim and Huck both have the same idea about superstition, but they process it in different ways. Huck more or less takes it to heart, rather than Jim, takes it more as if it

The theme of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is that the ideas of society can greatly influence the individual, and sometimes the individual must break off from the accepted values of society to determine the ultimate truth for himself. In Huckleberry Finn's world, society has corrupted justice and morality to fit the needs of the people of the nation at that time. Basically, Americans were justifying slavery, through whatever social or religious ways that they deemed necessary during this time.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a coming of age novel set in the 1840’s in St. Petersburg, MO. Although written 20 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, America, especially in the south, was struggling with racism. The novel contains many thought provoking themes such as racism, social class, morals, and conforming to society’s expectations. Perhaps, one of the most important themes of the book is Huck’s refusal to conform to society’s rules or to be “Sivilized” by Widow Douglas. Throughout the novel Huck proves to the reader that staying true to himself rather than conforming to society’s expectations will allow him to live a more satisfied life.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Huck Finn) by Mark Twain is a renown piece of literature both for its usage of language and the historical aspects that are heavily embedded in the storyline. Historically, society has looked at itself, each other, and events differently throughout the years. The slavery in the United States that is so heavily involved in Huck Finn was socially acceptable during the period of the book is no longer socially acceptable; both when Twain is writing Huck Finn and in the present time. What society finds acceptable can set the precedent of what is morally acceptable and this affects how Huckleberry Finn views some of the decisions he makes throughout the book. Huck struggles to understand the world he has grown up in and its moral ideas of how people should be treated. Society of the 1830s was a judgemental one due to the different social statuses and judgments people received from society. Huck Finn is a young boy who

The character most inclined to use superstition is Jim, and his actions are often laughable. The author even provides a list of some of the ludicrous things he believes: “And Jim said you mustn’t count the things you are going to cook for dinner, because that would bring bad luck. The same if you shook the tablecloth after sundown. And he said if a man owned a beehive and that man died, the bees must be told about it before sun-up next morning, or else the bees would all weaken down and quit work and die” (Twain 40). Twain is mocking humanity and showing how absurd superstitions sound, especially when all of one’s actions are based on them. Jim appears less intelligent as a result of his use of them, and Twain is proposing the same for society. Jim is also seen as childish for his belief in ghosts: “Doan’ hurt me—don’t! I hain’t ever done no harm to a ghos’. I alwuz liked dead people, en done all I could for ‘em. You go en git in de river ag’in, whah you b’longs, en doan’ do nuffin to Ole Jim, ‘at ‘uz ‘awuz yo’ fren’” (Twain 37). Jim had heard that Huck was murdered, and being the superstitious person he is, his first assumption when he sees Huck alive is that he is a ghost. A logical person would certainly have been in disbelief, but would not have jumped to the conclusion that Huck had come back from the dead. By showing how foolish his fictional characters look by relying on

Huck knew who he was because of self-realization, it caused him to understand who he really is. Huck says, “...I was mighty thankful,...” (Twain, 317) because he was grateful it shows that great growth he has made. Huck gets adopted, “...she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it,” (Twain, 325) but now he knows who is and will take a stand. Lies and deceit do not support the theme because Huck doesn’t have to lie, he’s mature enough to know who he is now. Self-realization is important to the theme because it shows Huck maturing and growing into who he really

In addition, these superstitions provide freedom from the restraints of civilization, but also bear their own dangers as omens are an acknowledgement of death (Hoffman 331). Despite this harrowing reflection, the omens that Jim teaches to Huck are important in developing Huck as a person and a character. Jim is the most potent source for superstition in the novel, and while some beliefs appear a bit ludicrous, they hold a somewhat real prophecy. An example of this is when Huck carelessly touches a snakeskin, which is one of the worst things to do according to Jim, and introduces a world of bad luck to Jim and himself on their little raft. These omens have a direct role on the plot by heralding dangerous episodes and by teaching Huck said omens, Jim is Huck’s mentor and guide on this treacherous journey towards freedom (Brownell). Being removed from society on the Mississippi, Huck has the time and space to think for himself with the influences of people such as religious Miss Watson and romantic Tom Sawyer. Religion itself is a massive shackle on Huck and he is already averse to it due to the bizarre nature of biblical verses and simply being forced into religion by Miss Watson. Jim as well does not have a strong religious faith and instead places his confidence in his superstitions, which brings back the aforementioned point of superstition drawing Huck and Jim together. They use superstitions to make sense of the world, even if it does not make any. This demonstrates Twain’s derisive tone towards religion by coinciding the ridiculousness of superstition with the equally ridiculous notion of religion itself as it may be viewed in the eyes of an

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn explores the ideas of racism and slavery through the eyes of a young white boy during slave times, who throughout the book is faced with ideas and people that force him to question the morals of which he was raised with. It's very important for us to know that Huck was raised by adults with superior attitudes toward Jim due to the color of his skin. Mark Twain wants the reader to realize that Huckleberry changes over time, and as an example, Twain writes about Huck eventually helping Jim out of slavery when he knows in his mind it's the wrong thing to do. A key theme in the story is the relationship that has been built between Huck and Jim.

Throughout the book, Twain uses various themes such as social ostracism to comment on human nature and its role in shaping society. Sometimes mainstream society is not as right and moral as it believes, and when individuals try to justify it they push away their own humanity. Twain demonstrates this through the various lifestyles, comparing the intellects and beliefs of different social classes, and Huck’s conforming

The character development of Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s piece, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” reflects the transition from boyhood to manhood of the main protagonist who is challenged by society to either maintain his own unique perspective and attitude or assimilate into a civilized community that upholds traditional White-American beliefs. Similarly, Kate Chopin in her novel “The Awakening,” utilizes fictional storytelling to articulate the internal struggle of Edna Pontellier on her quest to part from her conventional role as a woman and for the first time since youth, pursue her self interests. Chopin’s work targets current social understanding of morality and ethics, removing the notion that you have to abide by what society demands from you based on predetermined unjustified reason. The development of the characters’ identity in these texts reciprocate the complex nature of living life with society pushing down on you with standards and expectations, challenging your own thoughts and visions. This a persistent topic that Chopin and Twain, both engage in explaining through storytelling to highlight current social issues, where they indirectly reference the American Civil War and Women’s Rights Movement during the mid to late eighteen hundreds. The social conflict in Huckleberry Finn examines the nature of an individual’s process to gain consciousness about their role in life, which enables them to do what they consider morally just. This thinking is also

An issue of central importance to Huckleberry Finn is the issue of race. The story takes place in a time of slavery, when blacks were considered inferior to whites, sometimes to the point of being considered less than fully human. But Huckleberry Finn challenges the traditional notions of the time, through its narrator and main character, Huckleberry Finn. While in the beginning, Huck is as unaware of the incorrectness of society’s attitudes as the rest of society is, he undergoes many experiences which help him to form his own perspective of racial issues. Through the adventures and misadventures of Huck Finn and the slave Jim, Twain challenges the traditional societal views of race and

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.

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.

The following paper will briefly show arguments, and conclusions within the writings of Mark Twain’s story Huckleberry Finn. I will discuss the various themes that Mark Twain is bringing to light within his story. This paper will show how Mark Twain uses those themes within the story, and how they are specifically used. I will also briefly discuss the life of Samuel Clemons, the author known as Mark Twain, and give the reasoning behind choosing the name of Mark Twain when writing his novels. Themes of escapism will be discussed.