Huckleberry Finn Satire Essay

Mark Twain, a great American novelist, exemplifies his humor, realism, and satire in his unique writing style in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, born in 1835, wrote numerous books throughout his lifetime. It was the real south for slaves, Imagine you are on a plantation and you are working 24/7, not to get beat, in the hot summer with a white man standing over you with a whip, no rights, no nothing and abolitionist Mark Twain took a stand against it. He decides to write a book to point out the flaws of the south; His book was The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn, uses satire to point out the flaws in pre-civil war South. It is shown by, the pointless feud occurring between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons. The time when Pap was speaking his racist heart out. Mrs. Watson says she is a “good” Christian while owning slaves, Jim being worth more for the supposed murder of Huck than his pap, Huck will go to hell for helping a person, and finally, Tom Sawyer is doing everything by the book. Let us dive into how this element is used, in the book Huckleberry Finn. Twain uses the element of humor throughout the book, and one of them is at the brainlessness and ignorance of the south. One prominent example of this is the feud encountered between the two most prominent families in town: Shepherdsons and the Grangerfords; the following quote shows the motive for killing the other family “Did you want to kill [the Shepherdson], Buck?” “Well, I bet I did.” “What did he do to you?” “Him? He never done nothing to me.” “Well, then, what did you want to kill him for?” “Why nothing—only it’s on account of the feud.” (pg. 110) The dispute was a waste of lives, and time, they don’t even know why they are feuding, they blame the deaths on the feud, not their brainlessness. Mark Twain is using this as an allegory for the foolishness of the south, by showing how ignorant the people of the south are, for making them slaves for no good reason. Another example of humor was when Pap was speaking his racist heart out, “There was a free nigger there from Ohio — a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too….They said he was a p’fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could VOTE when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was ’lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn’t too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote agin….And to see …show more content…
One prominent example is when Huck is going to go to hell for helping a slave when Huck says “I guess I will go to hell then.”(pg.217) It is just plain outright preposterous; even an atheist knows that is not true.In utmost seriousness the south employed this tactic so that people who were sympathetic to the slaves will give up their support, Mark Twain upright destroys this claim by making a person who is going to be a good Christian man, save a slave which will apparently make him go to hell. Jim is a slave “Tom said he slipped Jim's hat off his head and hung it on a limb right over him” (pg 8), Mrs. Watson is a person that teaches Huck how to be a good Christian, and owns slaves. Which is just obviously contradictory, how can one be a good Christian and own slaves at the same time? She was about to sell a slave, and tear their family apart. Mark Twain understands this and addresses it humorously by Widow Douglas enrolling huck in school, and teaching him after-school about how God wanted all men to be equal, while she is selling slaves, and treating them like flies. The social structure of the south was complicated, on the one hand, they feared God and did whatever he asked, while on the other hand they are just exploiting, and mistreating