The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Final Essay In Mark Twain’s timeless novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he satirizes society and exposes hypocrisy within human nature through the eyes of a young boy; Huck Finn. Huck travels the deep south on a raft along with his companion, Jim; a witty black man who is constantly harassed on account of his race. Huck embarks on his journey to escape this drunken father, “Pap”, and attempts to start a life for himself without restraint from any parental or societal influence. Huck maintains a strong sense of wrong and right along with a child-like innocence this is very important to Huck’s overall character and portrayal throughout the story. Twain uses Huck’s child perspective to accomplish this
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Pap is a very symbolic character throughout the story, representing ignorance as both a physical and emotional obstacle for Huck. Eventually, when Pap dies, Huck can move forward in his life, coming also to represent Huck’s achievements and maturity. One can even conclude that leaving his father allowed Huck to achieve an underlying goal, similar to the “American Dream”; once he has freed himself from the grip of his father, he is able to leave home, experience life, form a reputation, and even gain some solidity and wealth. This is something he never would have achieved under the guidance (or lack thereof) of his Pap. While his father is no help to Huck, he pushes on anyways. On page 30 of the book, Pap says to Huck, “Your mother couldn’t read, and she couldn’t write, nuther, before she died. None of the family couldn’t before they died. I can’t; and here you are a-swelling yourself up like this, I ain’t the man to stand it- you hear?”. Pap obviously doesn’t wish to see Huck succeed in life, and actually threatens to beat him if he continues to educate himself, proving the magnitude of the struggle which Huck is faced with. However, Huck’s strong morals and immunity from societal influence give him an understanding of what is right for himself, not the unthinking majority- especially his father. This is similar to the mindset of those who seek …show more content…
Even the most radical racist would never be so hateful towards a black man if he weren’t taught to do so. Things begin to change when we start to gain a standing in society and realize that we must conform. This novel is a representation of how society influences us, and a reminder that we all begin as equals. Through Huck, we find a passage to clarity and equality since Huck finds himself at an age where he doesn’t yet need to conform to any societal standards; he can simply be free and learn things for himself. Luckily for Huck, he is able to escape society and embark on a romanticized journey through life, however this is only fictional. As we know, life doesn’t always work out like it did for Huck, and we are stuck with responsibilities and obligations which may outweigh doing what is right for others. It takes a substantial amount of courage and motivation (or a whole lot of truth and innocence) to be able to stand up to society and see the world as it is, but if we all decide to drop our stereotypes and second guess our greatest influences, we may achieve
Pap is a very symbolic character throughout the story, representing ignorance as both a physical and emotional obstacle for Huck. Eventually, when Pap dies, Huck can move forward in his life, coming also to represent Huck’s achievements and maturity. One can even conclude that leaving his father allowed Huck to achieve an underlying goal, similar to the “American Dream”; once he has freed himself from the grip of his father, he is able to leave home, experience life, form a reputation, and even gain some solidity and wealth. This is something he never would have achieved under the guidance (or lack thereof) of his Pap. While his father is no help to Huck, he pushes on anyways. On page 30 of the book, Pap says to Huck, “Your mother couldn’t read, and she couldn’t write, nuther, before she died. None of the family couldn’t before they died. I can’t; and here you are a-swelling yourself up like this, I ain’t the man to stand it- you hear?”. Pap obviously doesn’t wish to see Huck succeed in life, and actually threatens to beat him if he continues to educate himself, proving the magnitude of the struggle which Huck is faced with. However, Huck’s strong morals and immunity from societal influence give him an understanding of what is right for himself, not the unthinking majority- especially his father. This is similar to the mindset of those who seek …show more content…
Even the most radical racist would never be so hateful towards a black man if he weren’t taught to do so. Things begin to change when we start to gain a standing in society and realize that we must conform. This novel is a representation of how society influences us, and a reminder that we all begin as equals. Through Huck, we find a passage to clarity and equality since Huck finds himself at an age where he doesn’t yet need to conform to any societal standards; he can simply be free and learn things for himself. Luckily for Huck, he is able to escape society and embark on a romanticized journey through life, however this is only fictional. As we know, life doesn’t always work out like it did for Huck, and we are stuck with responsibilities and obligations which may outweigh doing what is right for others. It takes a substantial amount of courage and motivation (or a whole lot of truth and innocence) to be able to stand up to society and see the world as it is, but if we all decide to drop our stereotypes and second guess our greatest influences, we may achieve