The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Satirical Novel? In 1884, eight years after publishing the acclaimed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (TS), Mark Twain wrote its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (HF), a book that shared two characters and nothing else. Twain’s sequel is very different in tone, using considerably more foul language and cruel, and many more arresting and morbid scenes, leading the reader to conclude that it is intended for a more mature and sophisticated adult audience. In addition, HF employs the use of subtle, if not controversial, humor throughout the entirety of the novel, often as a device to expose and present moral dilemmas that are obliquely aligned with the main story line; in other
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Although Twain did not explicitly promote abolitionist ideals or even condemn racist remarks and attitudes in his novel, he did expose a deeply troubling human cruelty through the use of satire, which, in turn, served as a powerful vehicle for shaping people’s awareness of the dynamics of racism. For instance, in chapter thirty-two, Aunt Sally asked Huck if anybody had been hurt in the steamboat’s alleged explosion, to which he replied, “No’m. Killed a ni****.” (Twain 213) Aunt Sally replies by saying, “Well, lucky,” dismissing the death of an African-American as inconsistent with the death of a human being. The satire of this scene, while very dark humor, poignantly exposes the utter lack of respect and recognition of African-Americans in the society of the antebellum South by utilizing that same society’s racist voice as it judge, jury, and executioner. The utter void in ethics of this community is brought into even higher relief through satire than it otherwise could have been communicated descriptively. Anyone reasonable person can very easily identify Aunty Sally’s reply as a disgusting, racist remark that perfectly encapsulates many of the dynamics of racism, even if that person …show more content…
In doing so, Twain sets the book completely apart from its more basic and juvenile predecessor The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain’s humor makes fun of the appalling, acting as a sweetener to assuage the foul taste of much needed medicine. By employing humor, Twain also allows himself to write about more liberal perspectives than the then prevailing conventional wisdom might have tolerated; satire provides Twain with an effective voice while simultaneously shielding him from the politics and criticism that the perspectives he was advancing might otherwise
Although Twain did not explicitly promote abolitionist ideals or even condemn racist remarks and attitudes in his novel, he did expose a deeply troubling human cruelty through the use of satire, which, in turn, served as a powerful vehicle for shaping people’s awareness of the dynamics of racism. For instance, in chapter thirty-two, Aunt Sally asked Huck if anybody had been hurt in the steamboat’s alleged explosion, to which he replied, “No’m. Killed a ni****.” (Twain 213) Aunt Sally replies by saying, “Well, lucky,” dismissing the death of an African-American as inconsistent with the death of a human being. The satire of this scene, while very dark humor, poignantly exposes the utter lack of respect and recognition of African-Americans in the society of the antebellum South by utilizing that same society’s racist voice as it judge, jury, and executioner. The utter void in ethics of this community is brought into even higher relief through satire than it otherwise could have been communicated descriptively. Anyone reasonable person can very easily identify Aunty Sally’s reply as a disgusting, racist remark that perfectly encapsulates many of the dynamics of racism, even if that person …show more content…
In doing so, Twain sets the book completely apart from its more basic and juvenile predecessor The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain’s humor makes fun of the appalling, acting as a sweetener to assuage the foul taste of much needed medicine. By employing humor, Twain also allows himself to write about more liberal perspectives than the then prevailing conventional wisdom might have tolerated; satire provides Twain with an effective voice while simultaneously shielding him from the politics and criticism that the perspectives he was advancing might otherwise