Halley's Comet In Huckleberry Finn

Halley’s Comet, Mark Twain, and the American South

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30th, 1885. It was during this period of history that Halley’s Comet was visible to Earth (Upton, 2013). Why that in itself may not be that remarkable, what does make it interesting as it pertains to Mark Twain is when it was visible again. Halley’s Comet returned to Earth about 75 years later (Upton, 2013). It was during its return on April 10th, 1885 that Mark Twain passed away. In fact, Twain hoped to die during the comet’s return. Twain stated, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together (Upton, 2013). While this is at the very least an interesting fact about Mark Twain, his literary works are what he is famous for.

Twain published at least thirty books and pamphlets and thousands of articles during his lifetime (Mark Twain Papers & Project: A

Brief History, 2015). Many of these writings, fiction and nonfiction alike, reflect life in the South before, during and after the American Civil War. Of these writings, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are his most famous. Both novels are considered classic American literature and are still read today.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer focuses on the life of the title character Tom Sawyer. Tom’s vision of the world is basically life in fictional St. Petersburg, Missouri during the mid-1800’s. During his escapades, the reader gets to envision what Southerners lifestyles where like and what mindsets they had. Unfortunately, it didn’t always paint a pretty picture.
One theme in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer focuses on how social outcasts were treated during those days. While Tom Sawyer himself was considered an outcast, the best example in the book is that of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn, like Tom, was an orphan. He had no home and no one wanted him. Instead of taking care of him, society basically just tossed him aside and let him fend for himself (Mark Twain, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.", n.d.). It would be hard to imagine that happening to a child in America today. However, in the mid-1800’s it wasn’t so unusable. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer shows us just that.
Obviously, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer wouldn’t be a very accurate display of the American South if the issue of race wasn’t presented in some shape or form. Slavery was present during the setting of the book and racial slurs for African-Americans were used several times. While this may have been more commonplace in the actual South and in most books set in that period, it is the stereotyping of Native Americans that is more prevalent. The name of character “Injun Joe” was in and of itself a racial slur. Yet, he was called this without much thought (Mark Twain, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.", n.d.). This slur is what Native Americans were called and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer showed how nonchalant it was to use it in the South. The fact that “Injun Joe” was a murderess thief illustrated further that the stereotypical Native American was considered to be less than a decent human being.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is considered a sequel of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, shows an even darker image of the South, albeit at in a humorous way.

Slavery, which is no doubt the darkest part of the pre-Civil War American South, is alive and well during the period in which The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is set. Huckleberry Finn unhappy with the life is now living, decides to run away from St. Petersburg, Missouri. Not long after he leaves, he encounters a runaway slave named Jim and they travel the Mississippi River together on a raft. Being a runaway slave makes Jim a fugitive. Obviously, there were many cases of runaway slaves in the pre-Civil War American South. Most of the time, the outcome was very poor for a runaway slave. Luckily, the reader didn’t have to endure this outcome as Jim was freed at the end of the

book.
Another picture The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn paints of the American South is the prevalence of alcohol abuse. Huckleberry Finn’s father was the town drunk and when not disowning him, abused him. This abuse is what set in motion Huckleberry Finn’s runaway from St. Petersburg. The stench alcoholism is known about the early South, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn renders a lurid picture.
Mark Twain had many other writings that also gave readers a depiction of the American South in the 1800’s. Some of these include Life on the Mississippi, Pudd’nhead Wilson, A Private History of a Campaign That Failed, and Old Times on the Mississippi, among other writings. All of these writings, whether fiction or non-fiction, show Mark Twain’s view of the South through either his eyes or the eyes of his characters. Either way, the descriptive accuracy of these writings appears very genuine when compared to what is known about this period in history. Though Mark Twain wrote works that were set in other regions of the world, it is the writings where the American South is featured that made him acclaimed. Twain is an American original and a Southern gentleman. One can only hope that the next visit of Halley’s Comet will coincide with the birth of a new American great.