The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
(Mark Twain)
Mark Twain recognizes the hypocrisy that is rampant within American society as being the primary cause of suffering for so many innocent people. His audience is treated to a taste of the imaginary and fantastic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Through his use of satire Twain discredits the misguided notion of romance in American literature during his time. This is a novel that continues to entertain a wide and diverse audience, even today. Huck?s childlike and innocent way of dealing with life is used to illustrate the cultural and social realities of the southern United States. However, the audience soon realizes that we are being confronted with an array of social and cultural issues. Huck is simple, he continually struggles to see the truth in every moral issue that confronts him in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is almost completely illiterate and seems to have no concept of why things are the way they are. He has no opinion about slavery, he is not for it, nor is he against it. To Huck slavery just is; the institution is simply a part of the way of life in the American South. Yet, Huck faces moral dilemmas at various critical points throughout this novel. For example, The King and the Duke plot to rob the orphaned girls and Huck instinctively realizes that he cannot allow this to happen. He knows that Jim is the legal property of Miss Watson, yet he elects to help Jim avoid capture. Huck discusses the terrible fate that awaits the 'niggers' that are to be auctioned off with his friend Mary Jane. Her attitude toward slavery is similar to Huck's, she is horrified at the very thought of it. These two young people are concerned for the well-being of the slaves. For them the institution of slavery is natural because it has always been there. Huck views Miss Watson's ownership of Jim as quite natural, and in in keeping with conventional morality. Twain uses the word 'nigger' frequently in this novel, so much so, that the reader is compelled to question why it is repeated so often. Twain uses this word repeatedly to illustrate to his audience just how unaware Americans are of their hypocritical attitudes. Huck is an uneducated boy, and is contrasted with intelligent adult characters such as Aunt Sally. She is representative of most adults in American society at the time, and is indeed representative of the predominant southern attitude toward slavery. Huck's youth and ignorance excuse him from responsibility for his racist attitude to some degree; however, there is no excuse for this attitude in most of Twain's supporting characters. Slavery is the key focus of Twain's satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain refuses to limit his satirical attack to the institution of slavery in the American south. He goes on to characterize the institutions of Religion and Government as ridiculous. He attacks the hypocrisy of Religious institutions by satirizing a host of characters and pretenders in the novel. The scene involving the camp-preacher, and his sermon laced with fire and brimstone is indicative of how the institution of Religion operated in the American south. Government and legal institutions are characterized throughout as corrupt and inept. The author satirizes romance in literature in such a way that he is able to challenge both Church and State. Huck's youth, open-mindedness and naiveté represent the cornerstone of Twain's attacks on southern attitudes and institutions. Satire and comedy are Twain?s weapons of choice. Huckleberry Finn is Twain?s avenging angel in the struggle with institutionalized hypocrisy, inequality, injustice and racism in the American south.
Resumos Relacionados
- Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
- Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
- Huckleberry Finn - Critical Essay
- Anti-racism Themes In Huckleberry Finn
- The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
|
|