In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the main character, Pi Patel, laments that his tger companion, Richard Parker, did not give him a proper goodbye, as having one would have offset some of the pain of parting. A novel’s ending can be viewed in a similar way: a good ending leaves the reader satisfied and ties up loose ends the way a proper goodbye helps tie up the pain of parting. However, a bad ending, or no goodbye, leaves the reader empty and irritated, since the story has not accomplished its purpose for the reader. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain had an inappropriate ending because it did not effectively fully humanize African Americans and the main character, Huckleberry Finn, did not fully overcome his racist …show more content…
This is especially problematic considering that the book is supposed to contain the moral of racial equality: if Huck cannot overcome his racism, why should the reader? Most notably, Huck never seems to stand up for Jim despite seeing Tom’s cruel pranks: Huck has not grown up enough to speak up for what is right despite peer pressure. The fact that Huck participates in and admires Tom’s schemes is even worse as it shows regression since Huck had previously tried to be nice to Jim. Huck also does not fully overcome his racist tendencies because he does not seem bothered by the fact that other African Americans are being enslaved; he is beginning to view only Jim in a more human light, but any such progress is seemingly subverted by going with Tom’s cruel treatment of Jim. Huck’s lack of progress in overcoming his racism, especially the fact that he caved into peer pressure and did not show concern for other slaves, indicates a lack of character growth that ruins the ending of the …show more content…
Huckleberry Finn was intended to make readers of the time sympathetic to the plights of blacks; by treating Jim poorly, the novel’s ending instead only seems to reinforce racism. The fact that there had been progress in Jim’s humanization in previous parts of the book worsens this, as it shows that this progress does not truly matter. By treating Jim poorly, the novel’s ending subverts any previously held lesson of racial equality and instead would have made readers of the time reinforced of their
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
Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most well-known books of American literature, not all that is said about it is necessarily good, especially regarding its ending. First of all, racism, and more importantly, what the novel implies about it, is prevalent from the very first page to definitely, the last. Most prominently, this is because of the 219 times the n-word is said, however, the reason Twain did this is open for interpretation. Obviously, this word is incredibly offensive to the modern reader, which in turn, is part of the brilliance; the novel could never be published into today’s world. Neither could it ever be published before the Civil War. Nonetheless, there
This is exactly the kind of behavior that twain didn’t like. However, the main theme in this book is breaking free. He urges his readers to do the right thing, not necessarily what everyone else is doing. He illustrates this ideal with Huck. Most everyone else thought of Jim, along with blacks in general, as something less than human. Huck knew this was wrong, and his actions followed this when he rescued Jim. Main characters Huckleberry Finn Huck is the narrator of the story and for the most part is honest to us, the readers. He dreads the rules and conformities of society such as religion, school, and everything else that will eventually make him civilized. A big debate surrounds Huck on whether he changes or not throughout the story. Huck, in the beginning, seems very set in the south’s anti-black ways, however, Huck states that he will go to hell to keep Jim out of slavery. At this point it seems like he does change, but at the end of the book, Huck plays yet another joke on Jim and seems as though any change was temporary. Huck has little sense of humor, which is ironical, considering the book is satirical. Twain has also been criticized about Huck’s character, in that it seems as though Huck knows too much for his age. In one of the movies Huck was about seventeen, in another he was about eight. I figure from the book that Huck is
book Huckleberry Finn, the 13 year old protagonist defies society's values throughout the novel. In the beginning of the book Huck’s lying and manipulation seems selfish and unemotionally attached, but by the end he emotionally loves and risks his life for a black slave. Huck does this after he connects with Jim, allowing him to view slavery in a new eye. This book is set in the pre-civil war time period when slaves were dehumanized and abused. Growing up in a time like this, children were brainwashed to detach themselves from black people.
The intended audience for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is pertinent to the time period it was written in. I think he intended on having racist men read it and hopefully their view would change. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written a few years after the civil war ended when the effects of slavery were still present. Reconstruction was happening, they were trying to integrate freed slaves, but it wasn't working out as planned. Racist people were trying to exclude freed slaves. I feel that Mark Twain wanted those people to read it and change their minds, like Huck Finn did with Jim. The reader's perspective has changed from then to now because people have different life experiences and are hoping Jim becomes free.
Many view Huckleberry Finn as a racist book for the portrayal of the runaway slave, Jim, but Twain writes from Huck’s point of view, who was a product of his society. In the book, while using dialect and actions accurate for the time and location, Twain never portrays Jim in a negative light. In contrast to Huck’s father, Jim cares about Huck. For example, when Jim and Huck are reunited after getting lost in the fog, Jim tells Huck, “my heart wuz mos’ broke bekase you wuz los’, en I didn’ k’yer no mo’ what become er me en de raf” (p. 157), as opposed to Huck’s father who only wants him around to prove he has control over Huck. This shows the difference between his white father who should be a strong male figure in his life, and a black man who actually looks out for Huck. Throughout the book, Huck comes to realize more and more that Jim is human just like
One key lesson indicated is what’s easy, isn’t always the right thing to do. When Jim gets caught and brought to the Phelps’s house, Huck is faced with the dilemma of helping Jim escape, or to leave him there and write to his owner, Miss Watson. When Huck writes a letter, he feels “good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life,” (Twain 213). But after thinking back on all the kind things Jim has done to help him, Huck begins to feel conflicted. Realizing that sending the letter is only the easy way out, and the right thing to do is to help Jim is an important step for Huck. Huck’s shift in his decision to do what’s right, not what’s the easiest is a very important lesson to learn for all readers. Although the book is filled with problematic and racist statements, it does encourage equality between races, an important lesson at the time of it’s publishing. By creating Jim to be a much stronger father figure to Huck than his own father, it contradicts negative stereotypes about African Americans. Through writing about Huck overcoming his moral predicaments associated with helping Jim escape Missouri, Mark Twain encourages the audience to conquer these problems as well. Because of the moral messages The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is filled with, it helps to promote ethical behavior in society, an important concept in a classic novel. Through the obvious racist and
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Jim, a runaway slave, faces many obstacles in his journey to freedom. Huck Finn, a teenage boy and friend of JIm, is also facing difficulty with whether or not he should be helping Jim escape slavery. Many characters throughout the novel struggle to deal with conflicts. A conflict that people in today’s world are struggling to deal with, is the controversy over whether Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel or not. All-in-all, Huckleberry Finn is profoundly antislavery. Twain creates Him as a man who is brave and heroic. Twain also demonstrates that the blacks and whites relationship is not the only concern over racism, and reveals the voice of a slave attempting to survive in a white slave culture.
The ending of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been known to leave the readers unsatisfied and confused. Many have questioned why the protagonist of the novel, Huck, regressed into the character he was before his journey to free Jim, a slave. During this journey, Huck grows into the person he would be without the influence of a racist society. After this journey ends, however, Huck immediately falls back into his old habits as Tom, his friend, returns to help Huck with a dangerous and “adventurous” scheme to finally make Jim a free man. After their adventure, Tom reveals that Jim has already been free the entire time. These frustrating regressions in character development and plot are the reasons why the ending of the novel
Although Huck is a bit racist to Jim at the beginning of their journey, the negative attitude held by Huck begins to fizzle as their adventure continues on. The more Huck and Jim go through together, the closer the two become. Huck begins to see Jim as a friend and vice versa. By the end of their journey, Huck disagrees with society's idea that blacks are inferior. One example of this is evident when Huck doesn't tell anyone of Jim's whereabouts. Huck doesn't tell anyone because he knows that if he does, Jim will be forced to return to slavery. Instead, Huck chooses to "go to Hell" for his decision. He has shied away from society's acceptance of slavery.
A major theme in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is slavery and our evolvement towards the institution. “In fact, Twain’s novel is often taught as the text that epitomizes this tradition, with Huck held up as its exemplar: a boy courageous enough to stand against the moral conventions of his society. . .” (Bollinger, 32 – Say It Jim) In the beginning of Huckleberry Finn’s relationship with Jim, he has little respect for him and as their journey progresses he
A “classic” is worthy of our study because it contains issues of the time period, metaphors for problems in the modern day, and an imbedded history lesson. An example of a book that falls under these guidelines is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It revealed issues of the time such as, racism towards African Americans, as well as fugitive slave laws. This provides a history lesson by informing the reader of what life entailed of for an African American slave at the time. It also gives metaphors for the modern day because whites in the modern day still face social problems for defending African Americans in some cases. These examples show how these classics revisit issues we face universally as a society. All of these come together to create
The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has stirred up much controversy over such topics as racism, prejudice and gender indifference, but the brunt of the criticism has surrounded itself around the ending, most notably with the re-entry of Tom Sawyer. Some people viewed the ending as a bitter disappointment, as shared by people such as Leo Marx. The ending can also be viewed with success, as argued by such people as Lionel Trilling, T.S. Eliot, V. S. Pritchett and James M. Cox in their essays and reviews. I argue that the ending of the novel proves successful in justifying the innocence of childhood through such themes as satire and frivolous behaviour.
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.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn show much growth in Huck’s state of mind and, consequently, conveys themes of human equality that were scarce in Twain’s time of the 1800’s. These ideas of racial equality and social criticism were heavily enforced in the novel via Huck’s growth as a person. These changes really get put into stone when Huck decides to refuse to turn in Jim by destroying the letter to Ms.Watson. Throughout Twain’s novel, Huck undergoes a drastic amount of maturing, but this moment is a significant turning point in Huck’s moral understanding of his world as he doubts the way he has been shown the world. When he decides to tear up the letter to turn Jim in, who is a slave, he experiences an internal conflict until he