Mark twain huckleberry finn
Mark twain - huckleberry finnMark Twain and Huckleberry Finn
In 1884, Mark Twain wrote one of the most controversial and remembered novels in the world of literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in Florida, Missouri, Nov. 30, 1835. Due to the limited wealth of his family Twain often had to find inexpensive forms of entertainment growing up. He later wrote a book he called Huckleberry Finn which reflected his childhood memories of growing up poor. Huck did the same typical boy things as Twain. Growing up poor Twain saw life at a different angle, and growing up around black people wasn’t uncommon for him. He was exposed to the way the black majority was treated and he also reflected this in his book.
When Twain was four years old, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a small town on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River and the towns along it were used as the setting in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In his novel, he used the familiar dialect he was exposed to. He stated at the beginning of the novel, “the Missouri Negro dialect; the extremist form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary Pike County dialect... are used to wit...”. In Huckleberry Finn, as they traveled down the Mississippi River, the values of Huck and Jim were contrasted against those of the people living in the southern United States. Huck (the narrator and one of the main characters) and Jim(another main character) were both trying to reach freedom. Twain based this book on things that were happening during this time in his life. Huck was introduced without a father in his life. Twain’s father had died when he was about Huck’s age in the book. Twain portrayed religion and the morals of the southern society with satire. “The men took their guns [to church] ... and kept them between their knees...” was just one example.
In the time of Twain’s life that he wrote this novel, the Civil War had just ended. The war had tested society’s morals. The issue of slavery was important to Twain which was the reason morals were portrayed in this way. The freedom and peacefulness of the river soon gave way to the deceit, greed and prejudice in the towns on the bank of the river. One day, Huck and Jim were separated while on shore. Huck was told by another runaway slave, “those old fools made a trade and got forty dollars”. This quote showed the greed and prejudice of Southerners. They actually sold slaves for money. It was as if people were not regarded as humans unless they were white. Many of the towns Twain described were based on his hometown and nearby towns along the Mississippi shores. Jackson’s Island was located...
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