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Ilie Alexandra
Professor Ruxandra Radulescu
American Literature 1st year
May 29th ,2014
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain

Mark Twain is one of the most quoted figures in literature.His wise words and
truisms resonate today as much as they did at the time he wrote them.By his real name,
Samuel Longhorne Clemens, he is best known for his masterpiece, Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, published in 1885..It is viewed, especially in the United States, as the
quintessential American novel.
Twain grew up in Mississippi delta and that is where he based his famous novels.They
are period stories, set in pre-American Civil War deep south, where slavery is still very
much a part of the social landscape.What characterizes these stories is that they
comprehend the word through the eyes of a child and Twains use of a childs perspective
gives the prose a quality of naivety, honesty and charm.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the eponymous character takes a voyage
down the Mississippi with a runaway black slave named Jim.In so doing, Huckleberry, a
white boy develops a close friendship with a black teenager, demonstrating that racial
prejudices are only perpetuated when people dont take the time to look past past those
things they have been conditioned to believe in.Huckleberry doesnt see Jim in the way

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that white adults do, because he has no reason to be prejudiced.And, having established a
bond with Jim, he mentally develops without formulating the kind of prejudices that
people who distance themselves do.
Although the allegory is primarily about white people learning to discard their
prejudices, it is also about black people learning that white people can be trusted.This is a
unifying tale, which is why the book has been put forward as the Great American Novel.
Racial inequality was such a potent issue in America that the population went to war over
it, so Adventures of Huckleberry Finn struck a real chord in the post-war society.For
many readers the Civil War (1861-1865) had occurred within living memory.
In Mark Twain's world of Huckleberry Finn is a clear difference between the morals
of society and the morals Huck displays as the narrator of the story. Huck repeatedly
returns to this idea of being 'sivilized', rebelling against education every time. Society's
idea of civilization, as shaped by Judge Thatcher and Miss Watson, is being wellbehaved, religious and polite. If this path is followed, the end result is going to heaven.
Being civilized refers mainly to religion and the idea of heaven and hell because being
civilized leads you to heaven. These are the lessons the judge and the widow try to teach
him, but Huck cannot bring himself to do these things, probably because Huck is a boy
who comes from the lowest levels of the society, a broken home, an alcoholic father who
vashies for months, an independent and rambling way of life.In the beginning of Huck's
story, he says, All right, then I'll go to hell because he cannot understand the concept
of heaven and religion and so believes it must be simply a very dull place.
Another aspect that highly contributed to Huckleberrys moral development is his
relationship with his father, the inhumane actions of Pap towards Huck,another

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major theme of this novel. "' I'll take you down a peg before I get done with you'".
This quote reflects the image of the society, a society where family has no value as
compared to money.
Huck coming to a understanding of the cruelty of society, fakes his own death and runs
away in search for liberty.Soon, Huck encounters Jim and agrees to travel together on
their common motive - freedom."I was ever so glad to see Jim. I warn't lonesome now..."
By running away from society and it's beliefs, Huck has learnt to act on the basis of his
consciousness and rely on his intelligence to handle all kinds of situations instead of
simply relying on the common ways of society. He acknowledges Jim as a person
instead of a slave, which shows Huck's changing attitude to the social gospel of the 19th
century, marking the beginning of his maturity.
During their voyage down the River, they are separated after their raft was destroyed.
Huck is taken in by a family called the Grangerfords but soon finds himself in the middle
of a war between them and the Shepherdsons. Both families are presented as rich,
educated and religious. Ironically, we see them engaging in a violent feud involving two
generations, when the circumstances had long been forgotten "it started 30 years ago or
som'ers along there". Huck could only watch as the people around him suffer due to the
lack of common sense and arrogance. The conflict between the Grangerfords and the
Sheperdsons reflects man's inhumanity , which opposes the idea of a civilized society
based on the virtues of Christianity.
Later on the river, two men calling themselves King and Duke appear and settle on the
raft. From the beginning, their purpose is clear, they are thieves stealing from people's
properties.Huck's attitude was to avoid trouble, hence he doesn't say anything to

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them :"It didn't take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn't no kings nor
dukes at all, but just low down humbugs and frauds. But I never said nothing...kept it to
myself...don't get into no trouble".The so called King and Duke play an important role
in Hucks character development, showing him the corrupted seeds of this sivilized
world and teaching him to be more skeptical towards the environment.
One of Huck's great developments is in coming to accept Jim for the human being that he
is, by following his heart and instinct :"But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places
to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top
of his'n, 'stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was
when I come back out of the fog". This, considering Huck's knowledge on blacks, (white
men are superior to blacks regardless of status), was a huge victory against society. Huck
must take a decision which is conflicting to the institution of slavery , by confronting the
two slave hunters. Apoligizing to Jim was seen as a social offense, helping a slave run
away at the time was considered a crime and could have been punished by law. Caught
between his opposing morals and society's view on slavery, he unwillingly protects Jim.
Huck done it. Jim won't ever forgit you, Huck; you's de bes' fren' Jim's ever had; en
you's de only fren' ole Jim's got now." Huck's development from the beginning has turned
him into a person who is strong enough to take his own decisions and rules in a hostile
and corrupted society.
One of the main motifs of the novel is the Mississippi River.For Huck and Jim, the
Mississippi River is the ultimate equivalent of freedom. Alone on the raft, they live by
their beliefs. The river carries them toward freedom: for Jim - toward the free states, for

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Huck- away from his violent father and St. Petersburg.The book itself becomes the
Mississippi River, a jouney led by fate.
The myth of youthness is part of the charm of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Because of his young age, he is able to approach conflict with innocence and curiosity
,adding a nostalgic tone to the novel.Moreover, for Mark Twain, pre-secession America
and childhood were objects of nostalgia, commonly used by the writer.He speaks about
the South and the West with vitality and humor, respecting the characteristics of Realism
and Pragmatism.
Mark Twain uses this book to exploit problems such as racial issues, religious
hypocrisy, and the the gap between the rich and the poor which caused cultural
differences. In his book, he combines the Marxist ideas and the issue of Capitalism to
focus on key problems. According to Karl Marx, capitalists are able to make profits only
by exploiting their workers, for example, the King and the Duke.They represent both
parts of the upper class : on the one hand - Capitalism : They are co-men exploiting
others solely for monetary gain;on the other hand , their names provide a satire for the
Royalty of the day.

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Sources :
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Collins Classics
www.prezi.com The Marxist part

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