Examples Of Satire In Huckleberry Finn

In 1883, Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which deals with several problems in society. The novel seems to be innocently full of nonsensical adventures that focus on the two main characters, Huck Finn, a young boy, and Jim, a runaway slave. With a closer look Twain reveals a deeper meaning, full of satire regarding at the view of society at that present time. Mark Twain exposes the evil on his society by satirizing the institutions of religion, education, and slavery.

Religion is the main target of satire in Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he profoundly taunts the belief of religion. Twain points out at the beginning of the story the satire of Heaven and Hell. Widow Douglas, Huck’s guardian, preaches about

Huck explains his career in education, which short lived, “I could spell, and read, and write just a little, and could say the multiplication table up to six times seven is thirty five, and I don’t reckon I could ever get any further than that if I was to live forever” (11). Twain conveys Huck as being well educated by describing that he has been going to school and knows everything all so well. The irony of this is although Huck says he is well-educated he goes on saying he knows that six times seven is thirty five, obviously being wrong. Back then Huck might have been well-educated, but even then he was not that smart. A little bit later in the novel Huck meets his father, and Pap is unwelcoming to the fact, Huck is so sophisticated but predominantly that he is educated. Pap gets abusive as he goes off on Huck about knowing how to read and write. Pap goes on ranting about education, “You lemme catch you fooling around that school again, you hear? ….I can’t; and here you’re a-swelling yourself up like this. I ain’t the man to stand it — you hear?” (15). Pap is furious about Huck knows how to read and write, and ends up accusing Huck of thinking he is better than him because of it. The irony of this is that Huck is the only one in this family that can read and write and is somewhat educated. Twain

As Huck and Jim are on the run, Huck disapproves of Jim while he tells Huck about wanting to steal his own family back. Huck believes due to the society’s values that Jim’s rights to his family could be subsequent to those of the slave-owner. Huck doesn’t understand the concept that those children belong to Jim instead he believes Jim is trying to steal, “Children that belong to a man I didn’t even know; a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm” (67). Ironically, back then it was right to think that the slaves had no ownership of anything. Throughout the novel Huck and Jim’s relationship has been slowly evolving as they move down south. Huck not only gained a friend, but a new “father” in Jim, who Huck considered to be very grateful and sort of like an equal. Huck did what back then only a few whites would do for a runaway slave, and Jim admitted to Huck by saying, “You’s de bes’fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ole Jim’s got now” (67). Mark Twain intended to humanize slaves with Jim being so kind and father like to Huck, proving that slaves are good people and even sometimes better than a white man. Twain tries to show that slaves are people too, but society teaches that they are