The use of Satire in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...

The use of Satire in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In his novel the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1884, Mark Twain uses satire frequently as a medium to display his feelings on a range of issues related to society at that time. Throughout the book he ridicules many aspects of society, including the prevalent views on slaves and religion, and their social structure. Even though the novel was set fifty years before it was published, the themes still held true for contemporary society. This led to the novel being criticised widely as a result of it condemning the very society it was presented to. Today however readers can see the message behind Mark Twain’s satire much more clearly, as it does not mock us†¦show more content†¦Huck realizes however, that if he did follow society’s expectations and give Jim up to the slavers he would â€Å"†¦feel bad – [he’d] feel just the same way [he does] now† (149). This leads him to disregard the expectations placed on him by society and just â€Å"†¦bother no more about it† (149). In the 1800s, religion was a large part of society. However, society was on many occasions extremely hypocritical in their views on religion. The slave owners would â€Å"fetch the niggers in and have prayers† (51), forcing them to become Christians whilst ignoring their own Christian maxim, ‘God created all men equal’ by treating their slaves as lesser beings. Twain also shows us the futility of society’s fanatic attempt to convert everyone to Christianity. This is brought to our attention comically with Jim’s view of King Solomon. Jim has been taught â€Å"†¦bout dat chile dat he `uz gwyne to chop in two† (133). Yet the significance of King Solomon’s test in order to determine who was the mother of the child was lost on his uneducated mind. Similarly when Miss Watson tells Huck about hell he said â€Å"I wished I was there† (50), Huck was never taught to grasp the concept of heaven or hell, it was only described to him, leading him to believe that hell would be a far more exciting place to live than Heaven. Society’s view of prayer is harshly criticised as well. Huck was taught that if he prayed every day â€Å"†¦whatever [he] asked for [he] would get† (60).Show MoreRelatedThe Use of Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain595 Words   |  2 Pagesalso endure t he same treatment for how they act. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, uses the literary device of satire in order to ridicule the ignorance of Americans in the late 1800s. Twain uses irony during the mishaps of Jim throughout the story to comment the clear fact that people at the time judged others by their race and not by their actions. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jims personality is a strong influence toward the personality ofRead MoreHuckleberry Finn and the use of Satire Essay1109 Words   |  5 Pages Huck Finn and the use of Satire Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been controversial ever since its release in 1884. It has been called everything from the root of modern American literature to a piece of racist trash. Many scholars have argued about Huck Finn being prejudiced. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to mock many different aspects of the modern world. Despite the fact that many critics have accused Mark Twain’s novel of promoting racismRead MoreEssay on Prejudice and Racism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn833 Words   |  4 PagesPrejudice and Racism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn      Ã‚   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is an excellent example of racism in literature, because it uses language describing African Americans which goes beyond satire.   It treats them as objects and perpetuates stereotypes. It does not expose and deal with racism, as many advocates of its reading claim, but encourages an attitude of superiority that is unnecessary and intolerable. In order to ridRead MoreA Brief Note On Book The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn 1310 Words   |  6 PagesSarah Jane Reshetiloff Mr. O’Hearn Honors British Literature 26 September 2015 Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a masterful social satire that demonstrates the awakening of a young, adventurous boy living in a culture of slavery. He uses humor and an unreliable narrator to convey social satire in the novel to reflect the flaws of society toward in the antebellum south. The novel was published in 1884, just after slaveryRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1508 Words   |  7 PagesMany authors use satire to poke fun at certain issues to expose and call awareness to it. One author that has a history of using satire in his novels and other literary works to indulge the reader deeper into the meaning of his writing is Mark Twain. 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EarlyRead MoreMark Twain s The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn1216 Words   |  5 Pagesfully human.† Mark Twain supports this belief when he composed his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the institution of slavery and American Southern culture was not well understood internationally. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn conveys Southern culture and the social attitudes toward slavery through the plot of a young white runaway boy named Huckleberry Finn helping a runaway slave named Jim escape to free territory by traveling down theRead MorePicaresque Elements of Huckleberry Finn and Little Big Man Essay582 Words   |  3 PagesThe stories of â€Å"Little Big Man† and â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† are both picaresque novels due to their realistic characters and episodic adventures that the main characters go through throughout the stories. Picaresque stories also bring in satiric humor to criticize practices of soci ety. The bulk of the entire story is told through these episodic adventures instead of focusing on a set goal. In â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†, Huck Finn finds many adventures with his runaway slave friend Jim while traveling on theirRead MoreMark Twain s The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn2015 Words   |  9 PagesSamuel Clemens, produced The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A few years prior to the publishing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain released possibly his most famous book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which is very much an adventure novel. In the early chapters of Twain’s sequel, it appears that ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is another adventure novel, and that it is just following a different character from Twain’s earlier world of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. However, itRead More Prejudice and Racism in Huckleberry Finn Essay1265 Words   |  6 PagesHuckleberry Finn: The Immorality of Racism A majority of people in American society believe that school systems must teach children that racism is morally wrong. Often, however, tension has builds over how to teach this important lesson. Unfortunately, a controversy has built over the teaching of Huckleberry Finn. Although some believe that Mark Twains novel perpetuates racist feelings, in fact Twain uses the characters to demonstrate the immorality of slavery. Miss Watson and Pap