Irony In Huckleberry Finn

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Recommended: Racism and slavery in the united states in the mid 1800's

In America, slavery was one of the biggest internal issues it had faced. Huckleberry Finn lives in a time where slavery has not yet been abolished. When he decides to run away from his home, he runs into Jim, who is a runaway slave. Huck and Jim set out for Ohio, where they can both start a new life. Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn uses the satirical devices irony and exaggeration to show racism in order to convey a society that is not absent of racial issues. Mark Twain utilizes the element of irony to show that racism is present throughout the society at this time. He shows this through Huck and how he views Jim as a person. When Jim had pointed out that he no longer wanted to go on risky side adventures, Huck realizes that “...he was right…he …show more content…

This is shown in various conversations of Huck and Jim. When both of them are arguing about other people speaking different languages, Jim denies that there are other languages than English and says “... why doan’t he talk like a man? You answer me dat!” (Twain 125). There is an exaggeration in how unknowledgeable Jim is when it comes to dialect of different people. Twain uses this to indirectly show how racist people can be, as opposed to others. Although the conversation does not pertain to race, Jim believes that everyone would speak the same language because he thinks that no matter what, they are all the same. Even though they are not talking about race, Twain uses this to show that there are people who realize that everyone is equal, but racism and separation still remains. When it comes to racism, there are plenty of stereotypes. When the king is talking to the duke about where they put the money, the duke comments “...do you reckon a n***** can run across money and not borrow some of it?” (Twain 274). This stereotype is an exaggeration on what a black person would do if they saw money sitting around. Twain uses this to show that with the racism present in society, there are stereotypes that develop. These stereotypes would cause people generalize the blacks and treat them differently. Which leads to them being treated as mere property, rather than

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