The Cycle of Lies
In an attempt to comprehend the complex world of American politics, historian Arthur Schlesinger proposed the Cyclical Theory, which stated that the attitudes of the American public towards certain issues fluctuate over time, in a cyclic manner. These observations are mirrored in the attitudes of the characters in Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The novel is the companion to the American classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Continuing the story after two young boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn discover hidden treasure in a cave, the novel starts off when Huck is adopted by Miss Watson and is trying to learn to be civilized. Miss Watson teaches him many skills that society has deemed to be important, such as reading. The young boy soon realizes that a lifestyle ruled by societal constructs is not for him, and when his alcoholic and abusive father comes back into town, he runs away with a former slave named Jim. The two start a journey down the Mississippi River to get away from the negative binds they have to society. During towards the end of the journey, Tom Sawyer reappears and insists on helping free Jim after he was recaptured. Tom composes an elaborate plan that in the end …show more content…
The structure of the book also reflects the manner in which Mark Twain wrote the novel. While writing the novel Mark Twain wrote the beginning in a timely manner, then took a long break and did not touch the book for several years, and in the end rushed the ending. This is mirrored in the structure of the book as the middle section comes off as dull and lacks action. Overall, the ending of the novel is almost perfect for what it is trying to
In an attempt to comprehend the complex world of American politics, historian Arthur Schlesinger proposed the Cyclical Theory, which stated that the attitudes of the American public towards certain issues fluctuate over time, in a cyclic manner. These observations are mirrored in the attitudes of the characters in Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The novel is the companion to the American classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Continuing the story after two young boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn discover hidden treasure in a cave, the novel starts off when Huck is adopted by Miss Watson and is trying to learn to be civilized. Miss Watson teaches him many skills that society has deemed to be important, such as reading. The young boy soon realizes that a lifestyle ruled by societal constructs is not for him, and when his alcoholic and abusive father comes back into town, he runs away with a former slave named Jim. The two start a journey down the Mississippi River to get away from the negative binds they have to society. During towards the end of the journey, Tom Sawyer reappears and insists on helping free Jim after he was recaptured. Tom composes an elaborate plan that in the end …show more content…
The structure of the book also reflects the manner in which Mark Twain wrote the novel. While writing the novel Mark Twain wrote the beginning in a timely manner, then took a long break and did not touch the book for several years, and in the end rushed the ending. This is mirrored in the structure of the book as the middle section comes off as dull and lacks action. Overall, the ending of the novel is almost perfect for what it is trying to