“the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”- Meaning of a...

All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. Many would agree with Earnest Hemingway’s broad statement, but it takes a keen eye to detect and appreciate the brilliant satire that Twain has interwoven throughout his novel. The most prominent topic of his irony is society. Twain questions the â€Å"civilized† nature of white society, which heavily idolizes slavery. Huckleberry is given nothing but contradictory ideas about what kind of boy he should be---on one side he has the â€Å"sivilized† white members of society who seek to â€Å"improve† him, but are not always the best people. On the other hand, Jim, whose character is just a lowly slave, is portrayed to be humane and kind in comparison to his superior†¦show more content†¦The tone of the story changes into something darker at this point, and we are reminded that Huck, although easily forgotten, is still a child that is supposed to be influenced b y his environment. Incredibly, this is not the case with Huck, for his morals are still good, despite all of the twisted and contradictory characters that have been in his life. Huck is always trying to escape from this cruel society, and ironically, he seeks out the presence of Jim. Whereas Pap symbolizes cruelty and ruthlessness in a father through his abusive tirades, Jim symbolizes the compassionate and caring figure that Pap, and all of the â€Å"superior† members of society, should be. Jim portrays the better half of society, and he ironically happens to be a slave, the ultimate inferior of society at the time. Twain uses Jim’s character to show how ridiculous the white society’s application of slavery and human inequality truly is. On page 92, Jim reflects on the story of King Solomon chopping his child in half. He says that if the king had many children, it would be acceptable for him to chop his child in half; in slavery, one life means little and is easily replaceable. Jim’s ideas seem appalling, but with deeper speculation, the reader can see that this is only what Jim has witnessed in his horrible experiences with slavery. Jim possesses a uniquely humane way of thinking, oneShow MoreRelatedThe Use of the Word - Nigger - in Twains Novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1238 Words   |  5 PagesSince 1884, when the book was first published, there has been much controversy regarding the use of the word â€Å"nigger† in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Many people all over the world, predominantly the African-American population, feel that the word demoralizes the Blacks, and feel that the novel should be strongly censored from society. Some say that the constant use of the â€Å"n-word† forces the reader to conceive one of the main characters, Jim (Huck’s slave friend), asRead MoreMark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Theme of Nature1545 Words   |  7 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has many different, intertwining themes. The book spotlights the personal growth and development of the protagonist, Huckleberry Finn, through the theme of nature. The importance of nature is shown in several ways like the symbolis m of the Mississippi River, through the forest and Huck’s time spent living there, and by the argument of human nature versus civilization. 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