The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Samuel L.

The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Samuel L.

Clemens, whose pen name was Mark Twain, presents the evils of southern

societies during the pre-Civil War period in America.

The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Samuel L.

Clemens, whose pen name was Mark Twain, presents the evils of southern

societies during the pre-Civil War period in America. Clemens, a

well-respected author, "began writing The Adventures of Huckleberry

Finn in 1876 and, after several stops and starts, completed it in

1883" (19). This novel revolves around the theme of slavery versus

freedom, and was published at a time when most southern landowners

still "owned" slaves. Huck Finn is a novel that incorporates the

struggles of a young boy, Huck Finn, with that of a cruel, careless

world, on his travel down the Mississippi River in attempt at finding

his own identity. In this essay, I will present textual evidence that

proves that the Seven Deadly Sins are directly associated with the

types of evil in the novel, making Huck's world one of violence,

terror, and death. The Seven Deadly Sins will be discussed according

to their significance throughout the novel, beginning with: 1.) Pride;

2.) Avarice and Sloth; 3.) Gluttony and Wrath; and 4.) Envy and Lust.

Clemens' main character, Huck Finn, experiences a great deal of

violence throughout the novel as a direct result of the most

significant Deadly Sin, Pride. Huck's father, Pap, is a drunkard who

continuously exemplifies the sin of Pride. Pap finds extreme Pride in

the "white man" with the legality of slavery. An example of his Pride

is seen when an inebriated Pap verbally attacks free blacks in the

States. He states, "It was 'lection day, and I was...

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...usion, the Seven Deadly Sins of Pride, Avarice, Sloth,

Gluttony, Wrath, Envy, and Lust are significant in the novel with

making Huck's world full of violence and death. The deadly sins

committed throughout the work produce an undesirable life for society,

and much less for a child of Huck's age. The wondrous adventure that

Huck assumes he will take on at the beginning of the novel, becomes no

match to the evils that the young boy will view on his journey. The

Seven Deadly Sins are all directly linked to the evils that Huck

experiences. Huck's eventful, yet horrific adventure becomes the base

for which he is forced into manhood. The Adventures of Huckleberry

Finn takes the audience from "the endless summer of childhood

pleasures.", found in Clemens' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the

"violence, terror, and death that lurk at the edges of the

village"(19).