Cruelty and Appearance in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain describes the troubled times of the 1800s with mordant satire and the motifs of Cruelty and Appearance Versus Reality throughout his novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Along the Mississippi River during the 1800s, the law scarcely shows in the little towns that scatter the banks and due to the absence of the law the abject themes Twain chose become prolific in the area. Since most of the town’s Huck comes across appear small and localized, many of the towns only contain a couple of sheriffs or people who take matters into their own hands. When Huck travels, he comes across a small farmhouse where the Grangerfords reside. Mark Twain uses the theme of appearance vs reality when he introduces the character Colonel Grangerford who “was a gentleman all …show more content…
Amy Lepore sums the Colonel up with these words “He is a man who dresses smartly, treats his slaves well, goes to church and murders his neighbors.” The Grangerfords take part in a bloody thirty-year-old feud with the Shepherdsons who both want to murder each other; even thirteen-year-old Buck has his eyes set on killing the Shepherdsons. The supposed gentility of Colonel Grangerford dissipates with the discovery of the feud. Another example of appearance occurs when Huck and Jim float down the river and Huck goes to look for berries in the canoe. Huck comes closer to the bushes and two criminals come bursting from the bushes; the king and the Duke. When the King begins asking for a ride on the raft he tells a story of why he should receive a ride and says “I’d ben a’runnin’ a little temperance revival thar, ‘bout a week(Twain 138).” It seems like the King would appear a decent man, a preacher maybe. On the contrary, the King lives as one of the most low down men one can find. The king has mastered the art of the con man and swindles gullible people to take their money. The king
Mark Twain describes the troubled times of the 1800s with mordant satire and the motifs of Cruelty and Appearance Versus Reality throughout his novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Along the Mississippi River during the 1800s, the law scarcely shows in the little towns that scatter the banks and due to the absence of the law the abject themes Twain chose become prolific in the area. Since most of the town’s Huck comes across appear small and localized, many of the towns only contain a couple of sheriffs or people who take matters into their own hands. When Huck travels, he comes across a small farmhouse where the Grangerfords reside. Mark Twain uses the theme of appearance vs reality when he introduces the character Colonel Grangerford who “was a gentleman all …show more content…
Amy Lepore sums the Colonel up with these words “He is a man who dresses smartly, treats his slaves well, goes to church and murders his neighbors.” The Grangerfords take part in a bloody thirty-year-old feud with the Shepherdsons who both want to murder each other; even thirteen-year-old Buck has his eyes set on killing the Shepherdsons. The supposed gentility of Colonel Grangerford dissipates with the discovery of the feud. Another example of appearance occurs when Huck and Jim float down the river and Huck goes to look for berries in the canoe. Huck comes closer to the bushes and two criminals come bursting from the bushes; the king and the Duke. When the King begins asking for a ride on the raft he tells a story of why he should receive a ride and says “I’d ben a’runnin’ a little temperance revival thar, ‘bout a week(Twain 138).” It seems like the King would appear a decent man, a preacher maybe. On the contrary, the King lives as one of the most low down men one can find. The king has mastered the art of the con man and swindles gullible people to take their money. The king