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Central theme in the adventures of huckleberry finn
Central theme in the adventures of huckleberry finn
Analysis of huckleberry finn
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Civilization is defined as the human social development in which people are “sophisticated” and “enlightened”. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, he writes a story about a Southern boy named Huck who befriends a black slave during the time of slavery. Twain shows us that the protagonist, Huck is not well educated by using the word “sivilized”, yet despite this, he is one of the most sophisticated and logical thinker in the story. Throughout his misadventures, Huck sees the inhumanity and lies in what is so called “sivilization”. The untold truths of a “sivilized” society leads Huck to later decides that there is no need for “sivilization” for it is just an empty word that defies logical ideas and clouds up the …show more content…
people’s morality . Prior to Huck befriending Jim, Huck’s moral codes were based on the ideals he was taught by in the living environment and society around him. He lives with Ms. Watson and Widow Douglas who serves as the main influence in Huck’s life. However, despite their attempts in teaching him basic manners and religious practices, Twain uses them as a symbol of religious hypocrisy. “By and by they fetched the niggers in and had prayers, and then everyone went to bed”(5) depicts the contradiction of negative and positive ideas. It is ironic because, although, Ms. Watson and the widow are religious and believing that all men are equal in God’s eyes, they go against their religious ideals by owning slaves and treating the black race as subhumans, referring to them as “niggers”. The religious hypocrisy shown from the widow and Ms. Watson goes against what appears to be logical in a “sivilized” society that Huck is forced to fit in to. During Huck’s first encounter with the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons, Huck sees Colonel Grangerford as what he defies as a “sivilized gentlemen” in that he dresses nicely, owns a nice mansion, and has good manners. However, Huck soon discovers the hypocrisy of “sivilized” people when he learns of the family feud and the two family’s church interactions. “Next Sunday we all went to church...The men took their guns along...and kept them between their knees or stood then handy against the walls. The Shepherdsons done the same. I was a pretty ornery preaching--all about brotherly love...that it seems to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet” (106) illustrates the ridiculousness, senseless brutality and violence in a “sivilized” society. It goes against what Huck feels is common sense, using violence to uphold pride and honor. The Grangerfords and Shepherdsons talk about brotherly love in the church, yet, it is ironic how they hide their weapons, ready to kill each other even though they don't remember why they started fighting the first place. When Buck gets killed in the family feud shooting, it makes Huck further question the “sivilized society” he is surrounded by, for it is not morally and ethically right, defying what his ideas of common sense. Twain uses the duke and the dauphine to show the untold truths in a “sivilized” society.
The duke and the dauphine cheat, murder and steal from people, showing the greed and selfishness in society. In spite of the duke and dauphine’s corrupt actions, they are not all to blame. Twain also shows the townspeople as part of the problem in a “sivilized” society. “We are sold--mighty badly sold. But we don’t want to be the laughing-stock of this whole town...What we want to do is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the rest of the town! Then we’ll all be in the same boat” (147) depicts the ugly truth of human nature and the messed up society. Instead of looking out and advising others about the horrible show, the people decide that if something did not go well for them, it should also not go well for others. As a result of the people’s actions, the duke and dauphin were able to profit and take advantage from the people in the show. “It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race” (157) shows Huck’s frustration and his embarrassment in a “sivilized” society and world he lives in. He begins to turn away from the ideals of a “sivilized”
society. Huck’s best friend Tom shows the absurdity in society. Although Tom knowing understands that Jim is free, Tom’s childish ways brings him to go on an adventure to “save” Jim with Huck. Because of Tom’s decision to not tell the truth about Jim’s status, Jim has to face the risks of getting hurt in his “rescue” process. “They hadn’t no RIGHT to shut him up.SHOVE---and don’t you lose a minute. Turn him loose! he ain’t no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!”(277) exemplifies the absurdity in Tom. He does not see Jim as a real person, only as a “nigger” treating him as if Jim has no feelings when he gets locked up as a slave. In fact, he uses Jim as a catalyst for his own selfish childish games, treating him as an object. Although Tom could have just told everyone that Jim was free, he decides to go on a long journey to reach the exact end result to fulfill his want for adventure and games. It also reflects society during the time of slavery and how people could have easily given up slavery, but instead, take a long and unnecessary journey to reach the abolishment of slavery. Twain uses Tom’s actions to create a parallel between society during the time of a split nation. Huck’s adventures with Jim leads him to reflect on the meaning of a “sivilized” society. In the end, Huck turns down “sivilization”, “But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.” (281) and chooses to not associate with the “sivilized” society. He has come to realize that society’s flaws, lies, and irrational ideals. Thus, Huck decides to head to the Wild West to be free with his ideas of humanity. Twain shows that society is not always as “sivilized” as they say it is and can be full of hypocrisy and irrational ideas. By rejecting “sivilization” and going to the Wild West, he can be free and away from the harsh realities of a “sivilized” society.
Life in the late eighteen hundreds was very different from the life we know today. Not only was there more inequality, there were also more health concerns and lapses in education. Mark Twain, in his book “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” has given us a special look into the past through the eyes of a young boy. Though this book is one of, if not the most highly criticized books in the American school system, it is also one of the most highly renowned. Through the criticism, Twain has given us a golden reflective opportunity.
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in December of 1884. It was first banned in Concord, Massachusetts from the Concord Public Library in March of 1885. Since it was first published, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been opposed and banned. The book is powerful and provides an amazing window into what this country was like in the time period it takes place in, banning this book is not an ethical thing to do because readers learn and grow from it and people should know how the United States was in that time period so that we do not regress and move backwards as a society.
Maturity is not a fickle expression such as happiness or frustration, but rather an inherent quality one gains over time, such as courage or integrity. Before maturity can be expressed, the one who expresses it must have significant confidence in himself, since self-confidence is the root of maturity. Being flexible and formulating one's own opinions or ideas are aspects of maturity, but neither is possible without self-confidence. The greatest aspect of maturity is the ability to make decisions which society does not agree with. Whether or not one follows through with these ideas is not important. What is important is the ability to make the decision. These decisions represent the greatest measure of maturity.
Sivilization is a far cry from civilization, though they look the same and sound the same and one can easily be confused for the other. Civilization refers to an advanced state of humanity. The people who make up civilization are generally thought to have a higher intellectual and moral standard than those not part of it, and to be more mannered and well bred. Sivilization is a faux form of civilization. It appears to be equivalent to civilization, but where the superior attributes are sincere in civilization, they consist of ersatz gentility in sivilization. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the adolescent protagonist Huckleberry Finn, in his flight from “sivilized” society, encounters many people who have the act of refinement down pat, but who are in essence vicious, self-serving, and pusillanimous. Huck becomes aware of this hypocrisy throughout the duration of the novel with the help of many characters, and one of the characters that helps him recognize sivilization for what it is is Colonel Sherburn.
“Make the best o’ things the way you find ‘em, says I-that’s my motto. This ain’t no bad thing that we’ve struck here-plenty grub and an easy life-come, give us your hand, duke, and let’s all be friends” (Twain 124). Although this excerpt was taken from a con man in the story, it is an important quotation that is not to be overlooked. Twain wrote characters that have all faced oppression, such as Huck growing up with a complicated family life, or Jim who isn’t even treated as a human. But they all overcame their adversity, had remarkable attitudes, and found their personal freedom within the raft. Huck has had a childhood that has been anything but ordinary. He starts out in the home of the Widow Douglas and her sister who both try to civilize
How would you feel if a white boy couldn’t apologize to a grown black man because it goes against his faith? If I was in the black man’s position I would feel disrespected but I wouldn’t blame the white boy because he was brought up like that and it’s in his mentality to look at African Americans as property and with disgust. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain incorporates racism and slavery to show how and why it is wrong. He uses Huck, one of his man characters, to demonstrate how a white boy breaks forth from society’s racist ideas and the people around him to have a strong friendship with a slave name Jim, who becomes a fugitive. He uses Jim to demonstrate humanity and how it has nothing to do with the color of your skin. He also shows the struggle African Americans had to go through during that period of time in order to be free. Through friendship Huck learns that Jim is a regular human being just like everyone else.
Throughout Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learns a variety of life lessons and improves as a person. Huck goes through a maturing process much different than most, he betters a conscience and begins to feel for humanity versus society. His trip down the river can be seen as a passage into manhood, where his character changes as he can relate with the river and nature.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain uses Huck to demonstrate how one’s conscience is an aspect of everyday life. The decisions we make are based on what our conscience tells us which can lead us the right way or the wrong way. Huck’s deformed conscience leads him the wrong way early on in the chapters, but eventually in later chapters his sound mind sets in to guild him the rest of the way until his friend Tom Sawyer shows up. Society believes that slaves should be treated as property; Huck’s sound mind tells him that Jim is a person, a friend, and not property. Society does not agree with that thought, which also tampers with Huck’s mind telling him that he is wrong. Though Huck does not realize that his own instinct are more moral than those of society, Huck chooses to follow his innate sense of right instead of following society’s rules.
The subject this book revolves around slavery, and how white folks’ mindset on black people was popular at that time. Their mindset involved treating black people as inferior to them, and how to them, they were not even considered human but property. Twain also shows how sometimes a fourteen year old boy (Huck) was more morally correct towards treatment of black people than many adults of his time. Twain presents this in a humorous way with its serious points. The issue is obvious throughout the story and makes the reader wonder how even “good” characters treate...
Dehumanization-To dehumanize is to treat someone or something as if they are not human; living and breathing like you and I. It could happen to anyone from any race or social class, and even animals. There are many large occurrences of it throughout human history like the Holocaust, and even small instances that happen on a daily basis like bullying. Throughout their adventures, Huck and Jim encounter dehumanization on quite a few occasions. Within this essay I plan to analyze the dehumanization of animals; all the unsuspecting pigs and dogs that get put down, tortured or killed. On top of that I plan to touch on Pap and Boggs- two characters encountered by Huck and Jim, who are dehumanized due to their love for liquor. The final case of dehumanization I will analyze is one that many may not have noticed; our narrator himself, Huckleberry Finn- Especially how Tom Sawyer views him in comparison to how he views Jim.
When taking a look at Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, racism is a large theme that seems to be reoccurring. What some may think to be racism in Twain's words, can also be explained as, good story telling appropriate to the era the story takes place in.
As a result, Huck's values towards education are uncertain. Pap Finn, as a figure of the lower class, does his part to confuse the growing morals of his son. Together with Pap, the King and the Duke do their share to put 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).
The most popular problem people have with this book is the use of the word
The prejudices on which the “civilized society” lie build those who are blind to the injustices occurring. The dark visages from which the societies hid are revealed through Huck’s persona and his interaction between the minor characters. Twain’s exposure to the dark side to even the moral- looking people reveals the theme of everyone wears a face and behind the front is a much darker side that most people do not want exposed.
Twain shows how the character act in front of others and then reveals their true nature. For example, Duke and King are unsavory characters whom meet Huck and Jim and lied being from royal descent. Hypocrisy is a characterization that King and Duke possess that depicts them as low people in the minds of the audience. In one instance, King and Duke steals the money from the Widow´s sister and Duke says ¨Have you seen anybody else go in there? No, your grace, not as I remember, I believe. Stop and think.” (154). This is an example of hypocrisy with identity. When they stole the money from the ladies, they thought of nothing on consequences or how they can get away it without suspicion, revealing their true nature and do not live to their virtues as they claim. When someone else steals the money from them, King becomes worried. Huck asks if there something wrong (155) and King gets upset by replying that is none of his business his business and worry about his ownself and his affairs (155). It is comical that King wanted to wait on him and call him by his noble name only when it suits them at the time. King and Duke have no consequences for their actions and holds other people accountable for theirs. Another example of hypocrisy is the racial hypocrisy. In one scene, Duke says, “…you know the nigger that goes up the rooms will get an order to box these duds up and put´em away and do you reckon a nigger can run across money and not borrow some of it?¨ (24). He states that all black people are thieves but he is the thieves himself along with King and assumes that a black man must have taken the money. It raises why questions on why he says this stereotype about black people if he is a thieve himself. Twain would argue that this does not make sense but people like did exist at his