Huckleberry Finn



Huckleberry Finn

Introduction

In American literature the period of realism (1860 - 1890) stretches from the Civil war to the turn of the century. After the Civil war United States changed quickly. The slavery was abolished, democracy increased, towns became industrialized and urbanized, the population expanded because of the immigration, and the middle-class prospered. This provided a good environment for literature and for readers who were interested in understanding all these changes. Mark Twain was (together with William Dean Howells, Rebecca Harding Davis, John W. DeForest and Henry James) a representative of this literary period. Literature during the realism presented reality very closely and was detailed. Character was usually much more important than the plot and action. Moral choices and own experience were often the subject. Characters reflected their real nature and temperament and they had a strong relation to nature, to each other, to their social class, which was important in those times.

Americans wanted to know what their country looked like, and how the different races which made up their growing population lived and talked. Emphasis was placed on realization of democracy and morality. Events were usually believable and objectivity was important. Diction was often colloquial, not poetic at all. Tone was usually comic or satiric. Realism was in contrast with previous literary period, romanticism. Realism was a reaction against romanticism. The purpose of writing was to entertain. Authors were pragmatic, relativistic, democratic, and experimental. Relations between people and society were explored. Authors were interested in how much society influences people.

Thesis statement: Mark Twain wasn't a racist and his work does not show racism

Discussion

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, through the developments of the innumerable subplots, undermines what many have come to believe as the perfect antebellum new frontier, a time of religious piety and relative prosperity. Throughout the novel, slavery is disdained as a terrible practice and one that should be stopped; provided that the reader will 'read between the lines'. This is true because the dialogue within the text itself is quite insensitive to the modern reader, with the word 'nigger' appearing in it approximately two-hundred and twenty-seven times. For example, when Pap Finn complains to Huck about an African-American who can vote,

"And that ain't the wust. They said he could vote when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is a country a-coming to? It was 'lection day and I was just about to go and vote myself... but when they told me there was a state in this country where they'd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I'll never vote ag'in... Here's a govment that calls itself a govment, and let's on to be a govment, and thinks it's a govment, and yet's got to set stock-still for six whole months before it can take a hold of a prowling, theiving, infernal, white-shirted free nigger."

Freedom

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both Huck and the runaway slave Jim are in flight from a society which labels them as ...