Two key secondary characters that Mark Twain involves in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are the “Duke of Bridgewater” and the “King of France,” two men who feign being royalty to Huck and Jim when they are in fact con men who swindle people out of their money. They take manipulation to the extreme, cruelly conning many people for money. While these characters’ actions seem deplorable, their tactics are in fact similar to some of the tricks Huck has pulled. Throughout his travels with Jim, Huck makes up stories as a method of protection and getting information, and at the beginning of the novel, he even pledges allegiance to Tom Sawyer’s gang of robbers. It is important to note, however, that Twain’s goal is not to liken Huck to these characters. …show more content…
By introducing the duke and king, Twain is able to point how though their behavior parallels Huck’s own, their tactics of manipulation and the intention behind their ploys prove to be far more malicious than his. In this way, Twain pulls out the qualities of the true Huck, revealing his naivete, his creativity and resourcefulness, and most importantly, his capacity for morality. The duke and king are skilled con men, using manipulation to rob people. For example, they pretend to be the recently passed Peter Wilks’ brothers, playing to the emotions of his younger sisters to swindle them out of their inheritance. They attend Wilks’ funeral and put on an excessive display of emotion, “crying so you could a heard them to Orleans, most” (177). They elicit the sympathy of the Wilks sisters and the rest of the town, but behind closed doors, they pat themselves on the back for coming up with such a crafty plan, claiming proudly that “‘ther’ ain’t no better way’” to con (179). These con men are intentionally evil, manipulating human emotions for personal gain. At the beginning of the book, Huck joins Tom Sawyer’s gang of robbers, but rather than proving his tendency for evil and criminal deeds, it proves his innocence. Huck and his friends are delighted at the prospect of robbery and murder, but when they mention their intentions to keep the people they rob “till they’re ransomed,” meaning “till they’re dead,” it is clear that this is not a display of cruelty or bad character, but rather of naivete (21). Huck and his friends speak lightly about evil things like robbery and murder, but their misconception about ransom demonstrates that they don’t understand the weight of what they are talking about. Tom Sawyer pulls his ideas for the gang, which impress Huck and the boys, out of “pirate books, and robber books,” fiction, showing that Huck’s decision to join the gang is inspired by a childish, innocent fantasy (21). In comparison to the duke and king’s strategy, Huck and the gang’s plans are especially naive. On many occasions, the duke and king’s cons are comical, but malicious nevertheless.
For example, when they trick people into coming to one of their nonsensical performances, they play to people’s curiosity by including the line, “‘LADIES AND CHILDREN NOT ADMITTED’” on their advertisement (165). They cheat them out of their money by putting on a cheap performance, consisting only of the king prancing around naked onstage. The crowd is outraged, but in order to save themselves from the embarrassment of being cheated, they pretend to have enjoyed the show. This is a clear example of the duke and king’s manipulation; they know how to attract a crowd, and they anticipate their reaction, using it to their own advantage. Huck pulls a stunt that is similarly comical, though fuelled by intentions that are far different. He is on the run with Jim, and decides he must disguise himself as a girl to find information about who is looking for him and Jim. He succeeds in finding out this information, but it isn’t an easy process. While playing his role, he grows “so uneasy I [he] couldn’t set still,” and slips up many times when fabricating a story for the woman he seeks information from (68). This shows that he is far less cunning than the duke and king, further revealing his innocence. Moreover, unlike the duke and king, he doesn’t act out of greed, and uses what he gains from his ploy meaningfully. He learns that there are people after Jim, and realizing “there ain’t a minute to lose,” urges him that it was necessary for them to leave (72). Even though he is a runaway slave, Huck protects Jim instead of leaving him to fend for himself, demonstrating that he has
morals. The duke and king are often manipulative in a creative way. For example, in an effort to swindle people out of their money, the king dresses up as a pirate and attends a passionate religious meeting. He says that the meeting has reformed him, claiming that he plans to spend his life “trying to turn the pirates into the true path” (148). With this statement, he appeals to the do-gooders at the meeting, manipulating them into giving money to support him though his story is completely fabricated. Huck, though not cunning and manipulative like the duke and king, is quite creative and resourceful with his tactics. For example, when he meets men who want to search his raft for runaway slaves, he must think quickly to prevent them from finding Jim. He comes up with a story about how he is in fact travelling with his father, who is sick with smallpox. “A-blubbering,” he tells the men about how nobody is willing to help him, knowing full well that they will stay away from him out of fear for catching the disease (112). Huck comes up with this creative and effective story on the spot, demonstrating his resourcefulness. Moreover, his intentions of protecting Jim with this story further prove his capacity for morality. By comparing the actions of the duke and king to Huck’s, Twain is able to point out that though they are similar in that they often use the same kinds of ploys to get what they want, dressing up as someone else for example, their intentions, the way they carry out these ploys, and what they gain is different. Using this comparison between Huck’s behavior and the duke and king’s behavior, Twain highlights a few of Huck’s important qualities, including his innocence, creativity and resourcefulness, and mor
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain paints the story of a developing friendship between two entirely different people which at the time society considered unacceptable and taboo. Huckleberry Finn is a white thirteen year old boy and Jim is a middle-aged black runaway slave. They meet by coincidence while they are both hiding out on Jackson’s Island located in the middle of the Mississippi River, Huck is hiding from the townspeople who think he is dead, and Jim has runaway and is hiding from his owner. Throughout their journey together, Huck and Jim’s relationship goes from them being mere acquaintances, then to friends, then to them having a father and son relationship.
Mark Twain tells the story of Huckleberry Finn, and his maturity that is developed through a series of events. This maturity is encouraged through the developing relationship between Huck and Jim, as well as the strong influence Jim has on Huck. Jim's influence not only effects Huck's maturity, but his moral reasoning; and the influence society has on Huck. Jim is Huck's role model; even though Huck would not admit it. At first Jim seems to portray a Black stereotypical role with his superstitions and ignorance, although his true identity and maternal role begins to shine through as his interactions with Huck progress.
Over the 129 years for which the book has been in print, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been regarded with much controversy, for many different reasons. As it has progressed, the subject of this controversy has been almost constantly changing. This essay will explore some of the claims and explanations of the controversy, as well as a discussion on whether the book is even that controversial. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this novel, The main complaints seem to revolve around three core topics: Twain’s portrayal of Jim and other blacks, The extensive use of the racial slurs and racism, and the final chapters of the book itself.
Mark Twain, a famous American writer-satirist wrote many books highly acclaimed throughout the world. For his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the literary establishment recognized him as one of the greatest writers America would ever produce. This novel is about a teenage boy by the name of Huck Finn whose father is an alcoholic. Because of his violence, Huck runs away and finds a runaway slave Jim. Instead of turning Jim in, Huck goes against society and makes a decision to help Jim break free from slavery. As they travel together, Huck learns more and more about Jim and starts to understand that the common stereotype of black people is wrong. Huck sees there is no difference between Jim and any white man he knows except for skin color. Risking his life and overcoming many difficulties on the way, Huck succeeds in freeing Jim. Focusing on racism, alcoholism and mob mentality, Mark Twain uses his enthusiastic style of writing and satirizes the three traits throughout the novel.
Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest American novels ever written. The story is about Huck, a young boy who is coming of age and is escaping from his drunken father. Along the way he stumbles across Miss Watson's slave, Jim, who has run away because he overhead that he would be sold. Throughout the story, Huck is faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to turn Jim in. Mark Twain has purposely placed these two polar opposites together in order to make a satire of the society's institution of slavery. Along the journey, Twain implies his values through Huck on slavery, the two-facedness of society, and represents ideas with the Mississippi River.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is about the great adventures that Huck finn has with his slave Jim on the Missouri River. The story tells not only about the adventures Huck has, but more of a deeper understanding of the society he lives in. Twain had Huck born into a low class society of white people; his father was a drunken bum and his mother was dead. He was adopted by the widow Douglas who tried to teach him morals, ethics, and manners that she thought fit in a civilized society. Huck never cared for these values and ran away to be free of them. During Huck’s adventure with Jim he unknowingly realized that he didn't agree with society’s values and could have his own assumptions and moral values. Twain uses this realization to show how the civilized and morally correct social values that was introduced to Huck was now the civilized and morally contradicting values.
The decision to ban the novel Huckleberry Finn from classrooms and libraries has been an ongoing controversy. The presence of the 'n word' and the treatment towards Jim, and other blacks in general, has made many readers uncomfortable. Despite this fact, Huckleberry Finn has been and remains a classic read. I do not believe the novel should be banned or sanitized because it is a part of American history whether it is good or bad, also we have no right to change someone's writing simply because we do not like how it is written, Mark Twain's writing should not be penalized because of the ideals of today.
It seems like a never-ending question. When will we ever let it rest? You know the question I'm talking about; should the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be banned from American Literature courses? It's been argued from so many different standpoints, but it has never been settled. Is Huckleberry Finn really a controversial book?
“She was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it.” (Finn, 12) From the moment Huckleberry Finn is introduced in Mark Twain’s text Tom Sawyer, it is beyond evident that he is a boy that is not like most in this society. Huck comes from one of the lowest levels of the white society in which he lives. The truth of the matter is that this is not at all Huck’s fault. His low place in society stems from the fact that his father is an excessive drunk, that disappears for large periods of time, and when he does surface, he spends almost all of that time alternating between being jailed and abusing Huck. Therefore, Huckleberry Finn has become a bit of a ruffian himself, spending a majority of his time homeless, floating along the river, smoking his pipe and running a small gang with one of his only friends, Tom Sawyer. Throughout the course of this text, we watch as Huck transforms from this mindset of very little capacity for competent judgment and a very narrow minded concept of what is right and what is wrong to one of very broad minded perspective with an incredibly complex idea of the differences between rights and wrong. Within Mark Twain’s text Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huckleberry undergoes a series of very intense events that ultimately lead to a complete change in the development of his character.
Huck Finn, the main character of Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, travels down the Mississippi River in search of personal truth and freedom, which ironically he achieves by living a lie. Huck's journey causes him to wear a variety of disguises and masks to survive. Unfortunately however, the people he meets along the way wear disguises which they use to deceive and cheat the same society that Huck and Jim, a runaway slave, are trying to escape from. Jim must use his own cleverness, Huck's protection and disguises in order to avoid getting caught by society. Together, all these characters use disguises, which are lies in physical forms, to their advantage. Huck's motive is to escape the rules of a restricting society. The King and the Duke are con men who want only to cheat society and take what isn't theirs. Jim uses disguises for survival, to escape from social prejudice and unfair punishment.
...t the end of the book Huck even feels compassion for people that do not deserve it. He witnesses the duke and king being tarred and feathered. Despite the fact that these men played dirty tricks on him Huck still feels pity for them. “It was a dreadful thing to see. Humans beings can be awful cruel to one another.” (208) Mark Twain is essentially questioning the reader to examine their set of beliefs and decide which ones they actually believe, and which ones should be abandoned just as Huck did with Miss Watson’s beliefs and Pap’s beliefs.
Ransomed? Whats that???.. it means that we keep them till they're dead (10). This dialogue reflects Twains witty personality. Mark Twain, a great American novelist, exploits his humor, realism, and satire in his unique writing style in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain, born in 1835, wrote numerous books throughout his lifetime. Many of his books include humor; they also contain deep cynicism and satire on society. Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, exemplifies his aspects of writing humor, realism, and satire throughout the characters and situations in his great American novel.
Together with Pap, the King and the Duke do their share to put putrid moral ideas into the immature mind of Huck. The King and the Duke earn their living pulling scams on their fellow Americans. For instance, they advertised the "Royal Nonesuch" as a "thrilling tragedy" and charged the farmers in the area fifty cents to come and see it (121). But, the entire production consisted of the King walking around on all fours naked. They had promised a good show to the crowd, the King and the Duke did not think it was wrong to give the crowd nothing except for an empty pocket. The message they sent to Huck is that it is acceptable to cheat and lie.
For many years schools have banned books from being taught to their students because of parent complaints. These books have been shunned from the criteria, which may or may not affect the student’s understanding on a specific subject. People have been fighting to have these books banned because of excessive use of profanity, violence, sex, drugs and many other reasons. They do not look further in the books to see exactly what the author is trying to portray. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is banned in various places in the United States. This book should not be banned because, this book shows an important part in our history, it is not pro-racism, and it shows how far along we have come since then.
Huck Finn, a narcissistic and unreliable young boy, slowly morphs into a courteous figure of respect and selflessness. After Pap abducts the young and civilized Huck, Huck descends into his old habits of lies and half-truths. However, upon helping a runaway slave escape, Huck regains morality and a sense of purpose. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck lies to characters, casting the authenticity of the story into doubt but illustrating Huck’s gradual rejection of lying for himself and a shift towards lying for others.