Huckleberry Finn Romanticism Essay

In the late eighteenth century, a breakthrough in literature came about, romanticism. Romanticism freed the author to write however they pleased, whether it be with emotion, passion, etc. Readers all over craved it; it excited their imaginations and toyed with their emotions like no other work could do. In a sense, romanticism was an escape from reality for these everyday folk. Not all were in love with the romanticism works, though. Some people, such as realists, opposed the idea of romanticism. They believe that one should face reality as it is and not be strung up on an idea or fantasy in one’s head. Mark Twain happened to be a realist in a time where romanticism thrived. Twain wrote his novel Huckleberry Finn in the fashion of a satire to ridicule the romanticists and give the realistic viewpoints of situations faced. Twain criticizes the idea of romanticism in his novel through the ongoing feud between the …show more content…
It is obvious that Twain prefers realism, so he makes that evident in the main character, Huck. Huck is a young boy but he isn’t the average boy one can imagine he might be. He is a realist, like Twain, and does not see the satisfaction of the romanticism ideals, but because he is a young boy who has not acquired full wisdom of the world, he is susceptible to letting his mind run free as to what lies beyond his knowledge. “So I was scared and most shook the clothes off of me. I got up and turned around in my tracks three times and crossed my breast every time; and then I tied up a little lock of my hair with a thread to keep witches away,” (Twain 3). Huck embodies the ideas of romanticism by letting his mind run free and imagining that something bad will come his way if he does not fix his luck. This contradicts Twain’s goal of criticizing romanticism, but it is almost necessary because it shows the reader that Huck is just a young