Huck Finn

Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain is the story of a young man, Huck Finn, who runs away with a slave named, Jim. On their journey they break laws, encounter challenges, and Huck is faced with questions that define his identity. The events in the novel take place during the mid-1800s along the Mississippi river. Throughout the novel Twain uses sarcasm and ridicule to expose flaws in society during this time, making Huckleberry Finn a satire. Twain uses the characters to satirize the flaws in mid-1800s southern society by mocking the racism, church life, and morality of its members.

The ideas behind racism revolved around the dehumanization of blacks, but it is revealed that the difference between whites and blacks are not as strong as the idea leads people to believe. Henry Thoreau, a man with Transcendantalist ideals, stated “We are accustomed to say, that the mass of men are unprepared; but improvement is slow, because the few are not materially wiser or better than the many”(CivilDisobidence 128). Thoreau’s words can be applied to racism in the 1800s because improvement was slow and even though there were a few people who saw the wrong in racism they could not overcome the "many"and that is the world Huck lives in. After spending time with Jim, Huck considered him a friend and believed " he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n"( p). Huck began to see that there were not much differences between whites and blacks and he was just about ready to abandon the idea of racism. Twain used the idea of a slave guiding Huck along this journey and the two becoming close friends as an example of a relationship where racism is a disadvantage.

Although the ideas surrounding members of the church lead people to believe that all are decent members of society Twain revealed that religious principles are often ignored by its members. Thoreau declared "men had deliberately chosen the common mode of living because they preferred it to any other"(Walden 135). This can be applied to churchgoers in the 1800s because it was what everyone did. In the novel, the Grangerfords' and the Shepherdson's attend a church service "all about brotherly love, and such like tiresomeness"(p129 ). The Gangerfords' and the Shepherdson's were showing the opposite of brotherly love and forgiveness to each other, for thirty years they hated and killed each other. Twain revealed that although rules and principles of the church are easy to understand when it comes to following them, members of the church deny their existence.

Throughout the novel Huck faced questions about his morality and he revealed that society can impact what someone defines as right and wrong.
Ralph Emerson believes "the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude"(SelfReliance 109). Huck Finn thinks one way when he is on the raft with Jim but is often influenced by society when he visits towns. When Huck has to make a decision about what he thinks is right he decided against society's "right", he stated "never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said i would take up wickedness again"(p250). Huck's decision was his own and he risked breaking the law and going to hell to follow his choices. Twain used Huck to make people think about if they were following their own choices or the ones society made for them.

Twain used his transcendentalist beliefs to satirize flaws in society through his characters. Mark Twain stated "a round man cannot be excepted to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape." That can applied to Huck Finn because he had to go though various events before came to be his own shape. He wasn't trying to fit into something he wasn't anymore.