Category: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, continues Twain’s infamous novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer through the eyes of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry indicates his resistance to becoming “sivilised” and attempts to escape Widow Douglas’s proposed lifestyle. However, when Tom approaches Huckleberry with an opportunity to join his gang of robbers and murderers, he supplies a condition: in order for Huckleberry to gain access and a membership to the band, he must return to the household of the widow, who seeks to “sivilize” him. Instantly, a connection is made that links “sivilized” society to criminals and illegal actions. The reader begins to understand Huckleberry’s view of society which is further developed later in the novel.

The judge of the court takes it upon himself to feed and clothe Huck’s father. Once again, this action shapes Huckleberry’s perspective of civilized society. As he understands, a prominent authority has put faith and trust in a man he knows as a drunkard. However, despite the court’s favorable support and abicabilty towards his father, he rebuffs their assistance by trading his new-found gifts for whiskey. This action only convaludes Huckleberry and sets an ironic mood for the rest of the chapter.

Both Jim and Huckleberry escape from the lifestyle they were unhappy with and were unable to change. They find themselves brought together on this seemingly paradise island in the middle of the Mississippi River. The novel enters a dreamlike phase and this chapter’s use of imagery sets the setting and mood. It describes the “grassy open place amongst the trees”, bacon, coffee, and “good big catfish” which conveys the presence of a fantasy-like setting. This is a stark contrast to the dismal events of the prior chapters.

During the interaction between Huckleberry and Mrs. Loftus, a distinct difference in the treatment of black slaves and free whiteman can be observed. Mrs. Loftus describes the large sum of money offered for the capture of Jim, a slave, and is extremely interested in the offer. She discloses that her husband wished to borrow a gun in order to hunt Jim down, in a way one would with an animal. In comparison, Mrs. Loftus offers her support and assistance to Huckleberry, who assumes the identity, George Peters, a runaway apprentice. Like Jim, “George Peters” seeks freedom and safety from his previously cruel lifestyle, but they are not perceived as equals.

As Jim unfolds his plan to lead his family to freedom, Huckleberry begins to question his part in helping Jim escape. He is astonished that Jim has such ambitious plans, especially as he had not yet gained complete freedom, something in itself Huckleberry considers a novelty. He considers helping Jim escape slavery as an outrageous act of risk and immorality. He is even further baffled when Jim dares to seek freedom for his family, not wanting to cause harm to the man who owned them. This blatant concern for the slave owner losing his slaves, rather than the slaves themselves, is reflective of the mindset whites had in the South.

Sherburn’s speech encompassed the topic of courage, which not only applies in the case of the lynching and murder, but also to real life. He condemns his fellow villagers for their cruel actions and their cowardice, stating that their bravery is borrowed from the power of their sheer numbers. He lectures them on the topic of morality and cowardice. However, one should note that the speaker, Sherburn, killed a man that very same day in a drunken fight. This sense of irony and confusion lends to further develop the sense of disruption and iniquity that characterizes Huckleberry’s journey along the Mississippi.

Despite his previously passive role, Huckleberry takes the opportunity to expose the con men after witnessing Mary Jane’s affliction due to the separation of the slave family. This is a stark contrast to his uninterested and unsympathetic attitude towards the townspeople, whom he condemned for their wicked and foolish behavior. This shows a development in Huck’s character, as he is willing to defend other individuals, at his own risk. However, one should not that he views his assistance as a method of consoling the disturbed Mary Jane, rather than as a direct solution to help the slave family.

Tom Sawyer’s reintroduction as a character in the novel sets the stage for a new and different tone and style for the book. Previously, the novel consisted of Huckleberry’s internal thoughts, emotions, and personal dilemmas. With Sawyer’s entry, Huckleberry’s internal voice and narration take a passive role and the dialogue between the two characters shapes the story. Tom Sawyer also takes an active role in the book by volunteering his help to free Jim, signaling an exchange of presence and power between Huck and Tom.

Tom’s absolute confidence in his plan stems from his understanding and knowledge derived from society and books he has read. His adamance to abide by the guidelines of the “right way” are mirrored throughout prior chapters of the book, demonstrating the mob-like mentality of the townspeople and characters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, as the novel progresses, Huck exhibits his occasional resolution to oppose the customs that are perceived as “right”, making him an exemplary character.

Tom’s exclamation demonstrates an abrupt change from the perspective displayed in the beginning of the novel. Tom’s altered view of Jim reveals him as a dynamic character and this particular quote demonstrates that he now understands that slaves are human as well, something that was not clearly established by him at the beginning of the novel. His words also showcase his view on equality, in particular, when he says, “he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a complicated and witty narration of the moral and social injustices that existed during the time of the novel. The end of the civil war became a starting point for realism in literature right after Romanticism, which focused on idealistic and imaginative views. Realism covered specific subject matter, especially in the representation of average middle-class lives. Authors wrote fiction that accurately represented average lives.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, contains the realistic ideas that focus on reality, morality and language. Realism is a literary style in which the author describes people in a realistic sense using events, emotions and real relatable situations. Implementing immense detail about situations into American literature made the reader feel more connected and immersed in the book and characters. Twain used events in the book to shape characters, which showed their true selves within the struggles they had to endure every day. Using relatable events helped us, the readers understand the characters and why they did things the way they did. Huck being only a 13-year-old in the book, dealt with his father being the towns drunk, and struggled to find a moral compass especially being friends with Jim who was a black slave – which was frowned upon by society. Jim, on the other hand, had to battle being a black slave and trying to not get sold. He went through extreme lengths to avoid being sold all because he wanted to stay with his family.

This showed that Jim was an extremely caring individual who would do anything for the ones he loved. Twain related most of the events with his own experiences. He derived characters from people he knew and even himself, this made the characters of the book even more real. Even the setting, St. Petersburg Missouri, was derived from his hometown. Twain created a realistic novel focusing on detail and imagery, so the reader can fully understand what is going on in the book. He focused on setting, which heightened a reader’s sense to understand what was going on. Twain focused so much attention to detail, he used an entire page to describe the sunrise over the river. “The first thing to see, looking away over the water, was a kind of dull line – that was the woods on t’other side; you couldn’t make nothing else out; then a pale place in the sky; then more paleness spreading around; then the river softened up away off, and warn’t black any more, but gray; you could see little dark spots drifting along ever so far away-trading-scows, and such things; and long black streaks-rafts … and by and by you could see a streak on the water which you know by the look of the streak that there’s a snag there in a swift current which breaks on it and makes that streak look that way; and you see the mist curl up off of the water, and the east reddens up.”

This photographic description showed how Twain used his literature to stay as close to reality as possible. By showing the characters morality and how Twain related them to his own life, he showed a large aspect of realism during the 1840s. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn also displayed realistic qualities in the way characters would use their moral judgement. Society changed people’s views in many ways poisonously. School and Religion was a large part in many people’s upbringing, and it’s easiest to teach children when they are young because they are a blank slate and have no moral views. Children were thought to believe racism and slavery was right, and that white people were of a much higher status than black people. Because children were taught to think this way, that was the only way they saw as right- anything other than what they were taught was seen as absurd and simply not right. Because Huck grew up not going to school or church as often with his peers, he eventually learned to develop his morals, which were only slightly affected by societies views, but not as strongly as his best friend Tom Sawyer, who was raised as a comfortable middle-class white, unlike Huck. Huck begins to question his moral judgement when he becomes friends with Jim. He realizes that Jim is only human and is an intelligent caring individual. It becomes noticeable that Huck is still affected by society when he almost writes a letter to Miss.

Watson, about being with Jim and trying to escape, but he quickly comes to his senses and dramatically tears up the letter saying, ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell!” This quote shows how Jim has been taught to believe that being around a black man is a sin and that he will inevitably be punished for this. Just as society taught Huck racism, it also displayed selfishness and egotism. People believed that it was okay to hurt or kill others based on their gain. Slaves and Negros suffered from this the most – often treated with disgust and suspicion. At first, Huck holds these morals to be true and right. Huck felt that Jim was inferior to him and that he is a slave and should be returned. He even wrote a letter about Jim’s whereabouts and almost sent it before realizing that it is not the right thing to do. Huck upheld these standards for a while because it’s what he was taught his entire life, it took meeting Jim and realizing that he is a regular human just like him to change his beliefs. He denounced the morals of society and did what he believed was right. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn never failed to show the characters true emotions and vulnerability while displaying their sense of morality, and their various reasonings for believing in what they did. Twain also displays realistic qualities in the way The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is written.

The speech and dialect are written to fit the period and the characters who are speaking. An example of this would be Jim, an uneducated slave spoke with slang, shortened words or used improper grammar. ‘Say, who is you? Whar is you? Dog my cats ef I didn’ hear sumf’n. Well, I know what I’s gwyne to do: I’s gwyne to set down here and listen tell I hears it ag’in.” Characters who were ultimately more educated and had a higher social class spoke with manners and were generally more grammatically correct. This proved how Twain focused on making the novel realistic by implementing the way people spoke, even if it was not grammatically correct. Alongside the characters dialect, the technique and word choice in which the book was written also showed a major sign of realism. Instead of using similes and metaphors, the book was written using journalistic matter, and vocabulary. Twain used Huck as the narrator of the book and applied every day common tongue to describe his perspective on assorted topics. Instead of writing the book poetically, he would write day by day in Hucks life, describing his every action, which helped us the readers identify who Huck is as a person. Also, the book today is considered sensitive and controversial because of the language used. The N-word was extremely common in the book and was used in a racist manner to describe negros. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is banned from many libraries and schools, although Twain was simply describing the way people used dialect during this period accurately. Twain used language in a way that shaped the realism era, the avid detail, and grammar used were unfamiliar to the then current literature written and was a major part of the new realism era. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a very important publication, that began to shape to realism era. By using Reality, Morality, and Language to describe events and characters in the book, Twain grabbed readers attention, especially when focusing on major issues before the civil war. The book today is still a memorable fiction and is becoming an even more important piece of literature that all people should read.

Mark Twain’s fiction The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn explores various themes. Be it standing as a foreground for moral debates, dealing with slave markets, a marvellous piece of adventure fiction, or a mere children’s book. Whatever it might be, it is surely one thing, it is a foundational piece which dealt with a 14 years old young boy severely affected by parental loss, lacking all possible affection with no serious concern by anyone on a journey of escape for freedom. While the story feels pretty adventurous yet the layers to it cannot be ignored. Mark Twain can be called a pioneer in projecting the traumatised child in the visible light after which writers such as William Faulkner, Toni Morrison followed the suit with Freudian lenses, gendering the subject, etc.

The depiction of childhood trauma was first professed in American literature with the commencement of Victorian Era. The development of literature focused on children was also highly invested in by Generation I Romantic poet William Blake. His illustrated work, Songs of Innocence an Experience, talked vividly about the plight of children and the veil of innocence over the most gruesome harsh realities of conditions of children in 18th century. Not much changed in 19th century children fiction, except that now the truth was more psychologically embedded and difficult to even admit as it was covered with so many layers. Therefore, Huck Finn though a child, is shown smoking, living alone in woods, travelling alone, all painted in the colour of ‘adventure’. It is needless to say that Twain doesn’t colour the children fiction in fairy tale colours. There is harsh reality wherein all children are party to unsolicited violence, and Twain isn’t afraid to layer up the reality though making sure that it is visible if only looked carefully by the reader. Thus, a sense of realism engulfs the story which ceases to be mere story as it takes up theme of slavery, superstition, escaping griefs, fear, etc.

Huckleberry Finn’s condition and situation in which he has lived throughout his life are depicted in such a matter-of-fact way that even the critics aren’t able to figure out the moral wrongs in his life. Huck frequently describes how he gets thrashed by his father, “whipped”, stolen away from his comfort zone just for the sake of money. His own mindset is thus projected as the one who doesn’t pay attention to these “normal things”. Therefore, the trauma which Finn is exposed can be inexplicable to he himself, for for him no beating day is a normal day. On the first look, it feels like everything will be fine and maybe the trauma faced by Finn won’t cage him forever, however his rejection of the stability Widow Douglas was ready to provide in the end, completely overthrows this hope. This young boy damaged by other people’s choices remains a “hero of the solitude”.

There is a recurrent emphasis on ‘loneliness” in the story. Though a child who has friends, and is keen on going on real adventures frequently, Finn is strangely lonely. This is to say that he follows the path of escape as soon as he gets the opportunity, unaware that solitude cannot kill the trauma pain. Finn has been brought up parentless and invisible to society as a child. He was a drunkard’s son who was dutifully outcasted. His law-breaking attitude only made him hold worse position in the society.

The contemporary fiction is full of narratives wherein the protagonists’ parents are absent from the picture. There is a Freudian edge to it. The sense of abandonment strangely brings on the sense of freeness, however always tinged with realisation of not having a foundational, fundamental piece which parents provide. the protagonist then turns out to be a hero who defeats all odds. Huck Finn uses his own sense of morality diluted according to the situation and uses it to live in a world where every adult’s decision has only impacted him to feel worse. It is noteworthy that his little education and more of his experience has taught him all that he knows, and mostly often morally correct.

The level of violence frequently depicted in the story is also of another nature. The rules of the game, which is pirate like is indeed gruesome, the gang of Tom Sawyer feel no problem in “cutting the throat, and then burning”. The adventure of Huck Finn hides his psychological vulnerabilities thoroughly exploited by the traumatic situations he is induced to time and again.

Works Cited

1. Doyno, Victor A. “Presentations of Violence in ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.’” The Mark Twain Annual, no. 2, 2004, pp. 75–93. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41582190.
2. Rubenstein, Gilbert M. “The Moral Structure of Huckleberry Finn.” College English, vol. 18, no. 2, 1956, pp. 72–76. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/372502.
3. Lejkowski, Richard. “Childhood Trauma and the Imagination in American Literature” Graduate School-Camden Rutgers, https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/37285/PDF/1/play/