Adventures Of Huck Finn By Twain Essay Example For Students

Adventures Of Huck Finn By Twain Essay America land of the free and home of the brave; the utopian society whichevery European citizen desired to be a part of in the 18th and 19th centuries. The revolutionary ideas of The Age of Enlightenment such as democracy anduniversal male suffrage were finally becoming a reality to the philosophers andscholars that so elegantly dreamt of them. America was a playground for theideas of these enlightened men. To Europeans, and the world for that matter,America had become a kind of mirage, an idealistic version of society, a placeof open opportunities. Where else on earth could a man like J. D. Rockefellerrise from the streets to one of the richest men of his time? America stood forideals like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People in America hadan almost unconditional freedom: freedom to worship, write, speak, and live inany manner that so pleased them. But was this freedom for everyone? Was America,the utopia for the millions of common men from around world, as great as thephilosophers and scholars fantasized? America, as a society, as a country, andas a leader was not as picture perfect as Europeans believed. The United States,under all the gold plating, carried a burden of unsolved national problems,especially racial. The deep scar of slavery had left a dent in the seeminglyimpenetrable armor of the country. From the times of early colonization to thelate 19th century, Africans had been brought over by the thousands inovercrowded and unsanitary slave ships and sold like cattle to the highestbidder, an inhumane and despicable act that America, land of the free and homeof the brave, allowed to happen. Why? Slavery is what the plantation society ofthe South thrived on. The Souths entire economic system was built upon theshoulders of the African slave. Too precious and dear to let go, the South heldon to this institution until the Thirteenth Amendment was signed in by Lincolnin 1865. In this hypocritical society is where The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn finds itself. Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an epicstory of the journey of a redneck boy and a runaway slave, escaping the grips ofsociety in the hope of a chance at the freedom they long for so dearly. Thenovels author, Mark Twain, also grew up in this society. Samuel Clemens,Twains birth name, led a life that had a great influence on the works that heproduced later in his life. Born in Florida, Missouri, Clemens childhood wasfilled with adventures much like those found in both The Adventures of TomSawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Following his childhoodexperiences, Clemens worked on steamboats on the Mississippi River up until theriver was closed during the Civil War. The war opened his eyes to the issue ofslavery, which shows up in many of his works, including Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn takes place when slavery was very much a part of Southernculture and society, nearly thirty years prior to the Civil War. Since theinstitution of slavery was such a stronghold of Southern society duringHuckleberry Finn, Hucks helping bring Jim to freedom makes him an outlaw. InJames Wrights The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published in GreatWriters of the English Language: American Classics in 1991, Wright clarifies forthe reader that Huck in helping Jim, was not only going against the moralcodes of the South, but was going against strict written law (14). Sincehelping a runaway slave was written law, Hucks helping Jim signifies Huckmaking a conscience decision to rebel openly against society. In WalterBlairs So Noble and So Beautiful a Book published in TwentiethCentury Interpretations of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1968, Blairsuggests, In those slave-holding days, the whole community was agreed as toone thing the awful sacredness of slave property (70). The unity of theSouthern society in regard to slavery is what made it so difficult for theUnited States to rid itself of it. Slavery was in fact, sacred, and to goagainst this evil religion was taboo. To help steal a horse or a cow was alow crime, but to help a hunted slave or to hesitate to promptly betray himto a slave catcher when opportunity offered was a much baser crime, and carriedwith it a stain, a moral smirch which nothing could wipe away (Blair 70). Blair makes an interesting point here. He states that to go against slavery wasa moral smirch. Slavery was so much a part of these peoples lives thatthey made it part of their morality, their religious sense. It was morallycorrect to enslave another human being, but to help another was a crime. Thisillustrates the irony and hypocrisy of the South. The characters and actions inHuckleberry Finn embody the culture of a growing nation and the people thatcomprised it. All aspects of Huckleberry Finn as a novel promote realism andaccurately portray life in 19th century America. In Pearl James TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn published in Novels for Students in 1997,James states, Twain personifies the American folk culture through his use ofcolloquialism, using speech rather than writing in his dialogue (14). HereJames emphasizes the importance of the local dialect Twain uses in his characterdialogue. This is significant in persuading the reader of the realism of thebook. Published in Twen tieth Century Interpretations of The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn in 1968 Bernard DeVoto states in his Viewpoints thatthe novel derives from the folk and embodies their mode of thought morepurely and more completely than any other written (114). DeVoto has furtheredthe fact that Huckleberry Finn, in essence, is like a picture from the past, adoorway to the history of our culture. Although when first written HuckleberryFinn was considered trash and strictly a childrens book, the opinion of thenovel has changed over the course of the years. The majority of the literarycritics that have expressed their opinion on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finnconsider it a literary masterpiece and the first true American classic. In F.R. Leavis Viewpoints published in Twentieth Century Interpretations of TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1968, Leavis heralds the novel by emphasizingthat Huckleberry Finn, by general agreement Mark Twains greatest work, issupremely the American classic, and it is one of the great books of the world(109). While Leavis has recognized Huckleberry Finn as the Americanclassic, other critics go further. In Louis J. Budds Introduction toNew Essays on Huckleberry Finn published in 1985, Budd decrees, More sotoday, people who pay any mind to books get used to hearing Huckleberry Finncalled the great American novel, a masterpiece, a classic, and even a worldclassic (1). Twain has created a masterpiece that can be enjoyed by not onlyscholars but by anyone. Appearing in Modern Critical Interpretations in 1986,James Cox stresses in A Hard Book to Take that Huckleberry Finn, althoughread by people of all ages, loved throughout the nation, it finally made itsway into the academy so that professors of literature at least a good numberof them have come to take both confidence and pleasure in deeming it amasterpiece of American literature (87). The majority of the critics agree onTwains success with Huckleberry Finn. Twain employs many devices of language,especially characterization, to enhance the read of the book. In Mark TwainsThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain utilizes a plethora of characters andtheir interactions with Huck to illustrate Hucks views of society. From theonset of the novel, Huck Finn is presented with negative experiences relating tosociety, forcing him to escape from this suffocating and life-threateningenvironment. Miss Watson, as one of the first characters that the readerwitnesses Huck interacting with, stands for the hypocritical society that Huckis trying to escape from, which becomes blatantly evident to Huck when she plansto take the eight hundred dollars for Jim. Miss Watson and the Widow Douglasattempt to sivilize Huck, which in essence cram ps Hucks style. James Wrights The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn associates beingsivilized with being overrun with violence and greed (15). Thesource of the sivilizing is society, which is represented here by MissWatson. In Leo Marxs Mr. Eliot, Mr. Trilling, and Huckleberry Finnappearing in The American Scholar in 1953, Marx believes that it is she whokeeps pecking at Huck, who tries to teach him to spell and to pray and tokeep his feet off the furniture (29). Miss Watsons pecking is an annoyanceto Huck and causes him to want to escape. The Widow Douglas, she took me forher son and she allowed she would sivilize meand so when I couldnt standit no longer, I lit out (HF 1). The characteristics of being sivilizedare also physically uncomfortable to Huck. He does not enjoy starchy clothes andsitting properly. Huck is a backwoods boy, wishing to be free. She put me inthem new clothes again, and I couldnt do nothing but sweat and sweat, andfeel all cramped up (HF 1). This cramping of style is what again f orces Huckto want to escape at the conclusion of the novel. Huck has a general sympathyfor mankind. He sees people for what they are, regardless of the outside masksthey may use to hide their true selves. On the outside, Miss Watson appears tobe a lovely old lady. Comparatively, Jim appears to be a dirty, worthless slave,less than human. But Huck knows this is not true. He sees both Miss Watson andJim in a different light. Marx later explains that by giving in to the offer ofthe slave trader of eight hundred dollars to sell Jim down the river without hisfamily, Huck now comes to the conclusion that Miss Watson, in short, is theenemy (29). This realization is the first step in the moral development thatHuck experiences throughout the course of the novel. While Miss Watsonrepresents some of the hypocritical aspects of society, Pap is the characterthat Twain has created to be the hated villain. The ultimate evils of societyfound in the novel are no more apparent than in the character o f Pap, who isHucks father. Paps violent behavior and drunken rages eventually result ina desperate attempt by Huck to save his life and escape from the cruel anddishonest society he wishes to not be a part of. Cox makes the point in hisanalysis of Pap that first of all, his treatment of Huck convicts him ofchild abuse (90). Paps treatment of Huck makes the reader sympathizewith Huck and allows the reader to see some of the violent aspects of society. But by-and-by Pap got too handy with his hickry and I couldnt standit (HF 27). Paps alcoholism and abuse eventually lead to threats onHucks life, which becomes the deciding factor in Hucks decision to flee. He chased me round and round the place, with a clasp knife, calling me theAngel of Death and saying he would kill me (HF 32). The violent behaviorof Pap further instigates Hucks view that society is evil, violent, andwithout compassion. Paps evil characteristics are not limited to that of adrunken child abuser. Pap exemplifies the characteristics of a racist,uneducated white man to perfection. His criticism of an educated, well-to-doblack man is an ironic contrast to himself, an uneducated drunken hick. In oneof his drunken speeches, Pap rages on that they said he the black manwas a pfessor in college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowedeverythingthey said he could vote (HF 30). Pap has a resentful attitudetowards an individual who has accomplished something almost unheard of in thesetimes. He even carries this attitude as far as saying that he is not going toparticipate in voting merely because this educated capable man is black. Itwas lection day, and I was just about to go and vote, myself, if I warnttoo drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this countrywhere theyd let that nigger vote, I drawed out (HF 30). The paragraphswhere Pap is condemning the government are crucial for the understanding of whatPap symbolizes and his importance in the novel. In Janet Holmgren McKaysAn Art So High published in New Essays on Huckleberry Finn in 1985, McKayexpresses to the reader that Paps rather lengthy diatribe against thegovment seems to belong in the novel it develops Paps character astown drunk, petty philosopher, and racist (71). Even though Pap is aterrible father and no role model for Huck, he still believes that the law hasno right to take Huck from him. Heres the law a-standing ready to take amans son away from him a mans own son, which he has had all thetrouble and all the anxiety and all the expense of raising (HF 29). Pap alsofeels that the government is wrong for not allowing him access to the sixthousand dollars that H uck has received, and even goes as far as to blame thegovernment for his current condition. The law takes a man worth six thousanddollars and uppards, and jams him into an old trap of a cabin like this, andlets him go round in clothes that aint fitten for a hog they call thatgovment (HF 28)! Paps drunkenness, ignorance, abuse, and resentment areall aspects of his character that make him not only an enemy in the eyes of thereader, but more importantly, in the eyes of Huck. Once Huck has fled from theconstraints of society and has begun his journey down the great MississippiRiver, he encounters various characters that give further proof to his view thatsociety is evil and that the only true friend Huck has is the runaway slave Jim. Mother Teresa (4046 words) EssayJim, like any other man, has a family, and when he is separated from them, Hucksees that Jim is as human as he is. He was thinking about his wife and hischildren, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadnt everbeen away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared as much forhis people as white folks do theirn (HF 170). Hucks statement heresignifies that Huck is coming to the realization that Jim is an equal. Huck goeson to account, He was often moaning and mourning that way, nights, when hejudged I was asleep, and saying, Po little Lizabeth, po littleJohnny He was a mighty good nigger, Jim was (HF 170-1). Jim is more toHuck than just a slave. He is a man, a companion, and a friend. In RalphEllisons Viewpoints appearing in Twentieth Century Interpretations ofThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1968, Ellison depicts Jim like all men,is ambiguous, limited in circumstance but not in possibility Jim is notsimply a slave, h e is a symbol of humanity (113). Jims characteristics ofsympathy and kindness cause the two to become true friends. As the two continuetheir journey down the Mississippi, Huck and Jim form not only a truefriendship, but also a father-son relationship. James continues his analysis ofHuck and Jims relationship exploring the idea that Jim fills a gap inHucks life: he is the father that Pap is not; he teaches Huck about the worldand how it works, and about friendship (16). Part of the reason that Hucktakes so kindly to Jim is because he found no father figure in Pap. Jim caresfor Huck and looks out for him. Id see him standing my watch on top ofhisn, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad hewas when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp,up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honeyand how good he always was (HF 235) Another reason that Huck forms thismutual relationship with Jim is because o f the fun times the two enjoy on theraft. Pap was not a man that Huck enjoyed being around for obvious reasons, butJim was. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jimbefore, all the time in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight;sometimes storms, and we afloating along, talking and singing, and laughing (HF235). This enjoyment that Huck shares with Jim helps build the relationship. InJ.C. Furnas The Crowded Raft: Huckleberry Finn and Its Criticspublished in The American Scholar in 1985, Furnas quotes Mr. Lionel Trillingscomments on Huck and Jims relationship in saying, In Jim, Huck finds histrue father the boy and the negro slave form a family, a primitivecommunity (516). During the times that the two were separated, they werelost without one another. When the two are reunited, Jim is ecstatic. It wasJims voice nothing ever sounded so good before and Jim, he grabbed meand hugged me, he was so glad to see me (HF 128). Huck feels the same wayabout Jim when he finds him on the island. Pretty soon he gapped, andstretched himself, and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watsons Jim Iwas ever so glad to see Jim (HF 46). Jim, being such a saintly character,makes him a perfect father figure for Huck, and throughout their journey, thatis exactly what he becomes. Jim is also the primary reason for Huckscontinuously maturing moral sense. Throughout the course of the novel, Hucksattitude towards Jim and societys institution of slavery becomes more andmore clear to him; he realizes for the first time in his life that his ownconscience and beliefs are stronger than those of societys. In Frances V. Brownells The Role of Jim in Huckleberry Finn published in Novels forStudents in 1997, Brownell makes the point that it is when he is alone withJim in the secure little world of the raft drifting down the Mississippi thatHuck hears a voice of love that makes sense in a world of hatred (19). Jims love is the only love that Huck has the chance to experience in thenovel. Huck realizes this and gives up every chance he has to turn Jim in. and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we hadsmall-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jimever had in the world, and the only one hes got now (HF 235). Jimgratefulness to Huck knows no limits. The freedom that Jim eventually comes toknow is all owed to Huck. Jim thanks Huck saying Is a free man, en Icouldnt ever ben free ef it hadn ben for Huck; Huck done it (HF 98). Hucks bond with Jim, and his love for him is the cause of the moral rebellionthat Huck experiences. When Huck decides to help Jim, he has come full circlefrom the views of society and does what his conscience tells him is right. Inhis analysis of Huck, Adams stresses, When he repudiates his own consciencein this way, Huck takes a long step farther in his repudiation of Southernsociety, which has formed his conscience (Adams 45). Huck is in constantstruggle with himself, toiling over what he feels in his heart to be right, andwhat his mind tells him is right. Well, then, says I, whats the use youlearning to do right, when its troublesome to do right and aint no troubleto do wrong, and the wages is just the same (HF 101)? Huck truly believesthat when he decides, Im agoing to steal him (HF 248), that what he isdoing is wrong. It bothers Huck so much that he tries to pray to God about it. In a rather ironic manner, Huck can not bring himself to do it, because hethinks he is wrong for helping Jim. I was trying to make my mouth say I woulddo the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that niggersowner and tell where he was, but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie andHe knowed it (HF 234). This constant battle inside Huck makes the reader feelsympathy for Huck and develop him into the hero of the novel. Hucks moralgrowth and acceptance of Jim climax in a dramatic fashion. Hucks love for Jimbecomes so strong that Huck is willing to give not only his life for him, butalso his soul. Cox discusses Hucks decision saying, This moment, when Hucksays All right, then, Ill go to hell, is characteristically the momentwe fatally approve, and approve morally (180). Hucks decision does notcome easily to him, rather he battles with himself between what he feels isright, and what society has told him is right. Huck holds the letter telling ofJims whereabouts in his hand while he contemplates the fate of his bestfriend. Torn with himself Huck says, It was a close place. I took it up, andheld it in my hand. I was trembling, because Id got to decide, forever,betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding bybreath, and then says to myself: All right, then, Ill go to hell and tore it up. (HF 235) Although Huck has made the right moral decision, hestill believes what he is doing is wrong. Society has taught Huck that slaveryis an acceptable practice, however, Hucks conscience can not agree with this. Huck condemns himself after his decision and ironically blames his father forwhat the reader recognizes as the morally right choice. I shoved the wholething out of my head; and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in myline, being brung up to it, and the other warnt (HF 235). Hucksdecision here marks the thematic highpoint of the novel. Hucks moralmetamorphosis has now been completed by Jim, making him the most influentialcharacter in Hucks formation of his views of society. In The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn, Mark Twain has masterfully used characterization to portrayhis views of society through the eyes of the central character, Huck. Huckmerely tells the simple story of his trip down the mighty Mississippi with therunaway slave Jim. However, Huckleberry Finn has meant much more to its readersthan Mark Twain ever could have imagined. The novel has been and remains astandard of excellence in American literature that has yet to be challenged. Marx sums up his analysis of the novel stating, Everyone agrees thatHuckleberry Finn is a masterpiece (14). Twains works in Americanliterature, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, helped writers inAmerica establish an identity for a still growing nation. McKay praises the bookexulting, The publication of Twains most widely read and accomplishednovel was an event incalculably important to the development of a genuinelyAmerican literature (61). However with all the novels praise, James notesin her discussion, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a source ofcontroversy since its publication in 1884 (14). Schools across the countryhave banned the novel for its frequent use of the word nigger, despite thefact that the word was one that was very much a part of the regionscolloquialism. James furthers this discussion stating, It was banned frommany public libraries on its first appearance for being trash (14). For allthe novels criticism of being racist and a bad influence on young readers,Huckleberry Finn is still considered a true American classic. A simple redneckboy and a runaway slave. Huckleberry Finn is more than that. Whether or not MarkTwain knew what he was writing when he composed this piece, he was creating notonly a story, but a message. American society, as glorious as the history bookssay it was, had its dark elements. If nothing else, Twain has skillfullycaptured this theme and used it to produce a highly commendable novel. TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn is that novel, a story of two friends on a questfor freedom and an escape from a cruel and oppressive society. BibliographyAdams, Richard P. The Unity and Coherence of Huckleberry Finn. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1968. 41-53. Blair, Walter. So Noble and So Beautiful a Book. Twentieth Century Interpretations ofThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-HallInc., 1968. 61-70. Brownell, Frances V. The Role of Jim in HuckleberryFinn. 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