American Literature

English III

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Samuel Longhorne Clemens

Pen name was Mark TwainRefers to river depth

Autobiographical fiction: Was a river pilot for four years

Printer, miner, newspaper reporter, humorist

At one time, he did believe in the institution of slavery but later married into an abolitionist family

Background Information

Published in 1885 – Emancipation Proclamation signed in 1863

Setting1830-1840Mississippi RiverMissouri

Wrote the book over a period of 10 years First twelve chapters are a “story” Rest of the novel is very episodic

At the time, slavery was permitted in Missouri but not held as “highly” as the more southern states.

Huck Finn

1860- declared obscene, banned in libraries, banned by critics

However when a NY literary critic expressed the following remarks, it became the most popular American novel: “What Twain has given America in Huck Finn is

nothing more or less than its first indigenous literary masterpiece”

Walter Dean Howells

The importance of Huck Finn

"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. . . ." claimed Ernest Hemingway, "it's the best book we've had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since."

Form & Structure

43 chaptersFirst person point of viewHuck narrates in past tenseHuck is also the protagonist, not just an

observerTwain uses Huck’s character to voice

his own ideas about society

Satire- humorous with a serious message Twain exposes humanity’s cruelty toward

each other and many others to make the reader aware of the social “ills” of the time.

Individual versus Society- society imposes restriction, & civilization is artificial and colorless. In contrast, life on river represents freedom and opportunity to observe natural beauty.

Slavery and Racism - Growth and Transformation-

How does Huck reach maturity?

Realism

Realist - a believer in pragmatism (practical, every day matters)

Aims not at truth but in satisfying some practical end that life demands

Believer in democracy Describes the common, average, everyday Feels obligated to be truthful

Picaresque Novel

A mischievous hero who lives near or at the edge of the law

Low social level in main character Consists of several unrelated episodes Series of thrilling incidents The picaro-(main character -narrator) through

his pranks and predicaments and associations with a variety of people gives the author the opportunity for satire on the social classes

Marked by realistic methods- Frank expression; dialogue;detail

Big ideas in Huck Finn

Conflict between society and “natural life” Huck=natural Society = “collection of degraded rules and

precepts that defy logic” TWAIN’S SUGGESTIONS:

The uncivilized way of life is more desirable and morally superior

It is impossible for a society that owns slaves to be just, no matter how “civilized” that society believes and proclaims itself to be

Bid Ideas in Huck Finn

Slavery and the hypocrisy of it Twain = antislavery Jim = demonstrates the humanity of slaves;

complicated human emotions and struggles; caregiver of family and Huck; friend to Huck

Twain does not directly address the issue of slavery but has Huck ponder the following:

Should Huck free Jim and be condemned to hell?Huck frees Jim based on his personal experiences not

because of civilization

Slavery cont’d. TWAIN’S SUGGESTIONS:

Racism distorts the oppressors as mush as it does those who are oppressed - this leads to moral confusion!Characters like Sally Phelps and Miss Watson-

“good white people express no concern about the injustice of slavery or its cruelty

Bid ideas in Huck Finn

Maturation and Growth Huck - poor, uneducated, distrusting of

societyDecides to go to hell rather than conformEssentially, by the end of the novel, Huck

learns to read the world around him, to distinguish good, bad, right, wrong, menace, friend

TWAIN’S SUGGESTIONS: Learns to appreciate Jim as a man, not slave One has to make decisions for oneself What society teaches isn’t always right

Major symbols: River & Land

RIVER Represents freedom and a safe place A short term escape The pair can only find safety and peace of mind on the

river; whenever they step onto land, they find themselves getting into trouble.

LAND Represents the bondage and cruelty of American civil

society. To Jim, the land means captivity in slavery. To Huck, the land comes to symbolize bondage of thought

and behavior exuded by the religious-minded Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas.

Background Link to the Novel

http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/Huck%20Finn%20notes.htm

Chapters 1-3

Theme of “sivilization” vs. natural instinct Widow Douglas- benevolent and constraining Miss Watson - authoritarian and hypocritical

(She is a Christian who owns a slave)-Tom - childish

Important to note that Huck thinks that society is right and that he is wrong. We will see that his instincts seem to be right.

Chapters 1-3

Twain satirizes Miss Watson- she adheres to written authority- she goes in the closet to pray because of the biblical injunction: “When thou prayest, enter into they closet.”

Twain satirizes Tom Sawyer - he adheres to the letter of the law as laid down by romantic novelists.

Irony/sarcasm - Ch. 1

Huck expresses irony via sarcasm“I wanted to smoke , but she wouldn’t let

me and she took snuff too.” - Huck is pointing out the hypocrisy of the Widow Douglas; although she forbids him to smoke, she still uses snuff herself.

Huck and hell- he chooses hell b/c it sounds like a lot more fun- shows innocence

Isolation/juxtaposition/satire- Ch 2Huck is even isolated from boysTheft with honor - how can robbery be

honorable?? (Huck will “steal” Jim)Tom’s rules from romantic books- most

adults choose books as “right” foundation

Twain mocks the adult world who relies on books to create their civilization

Huck supports slavery at end of chapter

Ch. 3

Huck is rational thinker who only believes what he can see with his own eyes Robbers - boring Picnic not an Arab army Pa can’t be dead Prayer & religion doesn’t give what one

wantsTwain satirizes religion again

Chapters 4-7

Huck - intelligent - gets rid of his $Huck- superstitious - gets Jim to tell his

fortuneTwain satirizes do-gooders - in the

description of Pap’s reform when the judge finally realizes that “A body could reform the ole man with a shot gun maybe, but he didn’t know no other way.”

Chapters 4-7

Huck prefers life with his father in Illinois to “sivilized” life, but he a virtual slave

He wants to be free from civilization and meanness as represented by his father.

Ch. 4

Superstition - Salt shaker Cross boot print - fight superstition with

superstition Jim’s hairball - foreshadows the rest of

novelLight (Huck) Dark (Jim)

Ch. 4- 5

Twain comments on MONEY Money splits people Huck can’t understand the importance of it This splits Huck and Jim

Pa wants Huck to be ignorant- what is Twain saying?

Twain mocks Christian morality again- Pa as guardian- dismal failure

Ch. 6-7

Huck’s character is really revealed: Vibrant Fights for life Genius for innovation Does not need anyone to survive Gets lonely Fakes death - proud Faced with responsibility

Chapters 8-11

Huck’s conscience - his first testHe decides people will call him an

abolitionist - he shares society’s values- Twain satirizes his naïve acceptance

Huck’s prank on Jim - moves out of Tom’s childhood world and into the real and dangerous world.

Chapters 12-14

Twain satire is seen when Huck talks Jim into boarding the “Walter Scott” b/c Tom Sawyer would have done it.

Jim doesn’t want to take these chances b/c is freedom is at stake HUCK is UNAWARE of these 2 worlds We also see that the captain of the ferryboat is

motivated by greed- even though lives are endangered, he is concerned about who will pay for the rescue. Twain shows the average person as selfish and cruel

Notice how Huck wants to help murderers - he doesn’t like to see anyone hurt

Chapter 15-16

Huck lies to Jim and he believes it. When Jim finds out the truth, he is upset. Huck feels guilty for being mean to Jim, and playing that trick on him. He says that he could have kissed Jim's foot to take back what he did.

Humanity 6: Huck starts to feel guilty that he is helping free Miss Watson's slave. He says that he thinks he is mean and he doesn't think that she deserves to have her slave stolen. After all, she never did anything to him.

Chapters 15-16

Insight into Jim's character - sincere (joyful to see Huck alive) and trustworthy (would sacrifice a great deal to ensure H’s safety), but also stubborn and mature

Test Jim's loyalty to Huck, and vice-versa. For the first time the novel is dealing with the issue of loyalty Huck does not yet reciprocate Jim's feelings. Huck is not yet

willing to sacrifice part of his life to ensure Jim's safety, and thus leads Jim from one adventure to another, be it on the wrecked steamboat or during the fog.

Chapters 15-16

Jim's stubbornness can partially be traced to his maturity. He desperately wishes to avoid any adventures because adventures bring complications. Jim would be happiest if he were able to get to Cairo and take the steamboat upriver with no interruptions.

Huck’s conscience - he almost turns Jim in- when he doesn’t Huck perceives himself as weak.

Theme- What exactly is a theme?

The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.

In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. You must figure out the theme yourself.

The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader.

Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer areseeking.

Common Themes

The American Dream The Development and

Image of the Hero The Meaning of

Freedom Individuality Death and How To Deal

With It Religion and Faith The Power of One

Human Relationship Liberty and Authority Community and

Responsibility Challenge and Success Innocence and

Experience Guilt Choices and Possibilities Friendship Family Love