Exploring the Context, Archetypes, and Idealism behind the ... · of the character are the same as...
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Exploring the Context, Archetypes, and Idealism behind the Novel
The Author Samuel Clemens, A.K.A Mark Twain
Born November 30, 1835; raised in Hannibal, Missouri
Left school at 11, after the 5th grade, to be a printer’s assistant
Moved to New York and Philadelphia at 18, wrote several articles for many publications
Eyewitness to American History In 1857 Moved back to Missouri, to pilot a riverboat on
the Mississippi
1861 – Civil War breaks out; all traffic stops along the river
Briefly joins a Confederate Unit, but quits after two weeks
July, 1861, Clemens heads West to try his luck in the Nevada Silver rush
Eyewitness to American History Briefly joins a Confederate Unit, but quits after two
weeks
July, 1861, Clemens heads West to try his luck in the Nevada Silver rush
“Visions and revisions…” –T.S. Eliot
As a failed prospector, Clemens began writing under the name Mark Twain
1864, after moderate success as a writer, Twain continues west to San Francisco
Twain writes for local papers, capturing and retelling the tails of explorers and prospectors
By 1865, Twain gains world-wide renown through these tails
Years of Prosperity From 1871 to 1891, Twain capitalized on his fame,
traveling throughout America and Europe writing travel satires
1870, Marries Olivia Langdon
By 1874, Twain, his wife, and three daughters live in an elaborate home in Hartford, Connecticut
Twain writes some of his most famous works here, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the first book published by his own company, the Charles L. Webster Company
Bankruptcy to Bangkok
Despite his literary success, he lacked economic vision
By 1891, the Clemenses were facing bankruptcy
Moved to Europe
1894 – Charles L Webster company fails
Once settling their debt, they traveled Europe and Asia, observing and commenting on different governments and colonies
1896 – Susy, the eldest daughter, dies of Meningitis
American Hero to America’s Most Wanted From about 1900 on, Twain began forming anti-
imperialist ideals, becoming the VP of the Anti-Imperialist league in 1901
His writings in these later years were very dark, and focused on the greed, cruelty, and questionable humanity of the human race
His views were overwhelmingly anti-government, and he was viewed as a traitor by some
As a result, many of these works went unpublished
Facing Mortality 1900 – Returned to New York
1904 – Olivia dies
1909 – Clara, Twain’s middle daughter and only child to survive him, marries
1909 – Twain’s youngest daughter dies
April 21, 1910 – Samuel Clemens dies at age 74
Understanding the Complexities of Huckleberry Finn From an early age, Samuel Clemens exhibited a
fascination with the different groups of people that inhabited the small town of Hannibal, and the surrounding communities that built their livelihoods on the Mississippi
This extended to his life as a traveler and writer
Regionalism Mark Twain is considered a Realist, and within
that literary movement, he is a Regionalist
He sought to accurately represent the lives of everyday people
His settings included realistic environments
His characters engaged in authentic dialogue
He sought to accurately represent the local color of many different regions or communities in the United States
The Mississippi River provides the perfect opportunity for this
Dialect Dialect is one literary device that Twain used to
help define the regions in his literature Twain is considered the master of dialect Dialect is a way of speaking that is localized
geographically. Characteristics of dialect are: sound (pronunciation): cot/caught; cah/car word formation: crick/creek variations in syntax: on accident/by accident word choices: soda/pop figures of speech (idioms) well, dog my cats!
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses, by his own count, seven different and distinct dialects.
Confusion and Controversy Huck Finn has been plagued by controversy since it
was published
In 1885, The Concord Public Library in Massachusetts immediately banned it as "the veriest trash, suitable only for the slums."
At this time, the controversy centered around the characters’ poor use of grammar, poor choices, and provided a poor role model for adolescents
An embodiment of Racism
From about 1957 on, most of the controversy of Huck Finn centered on race
NAACP charged that Huck Finn contained “racial slurs” and “belittling racial designations
Pervasive use of the word “nigger”
Portrayal of black people was considered stereotypical and demeaning
John Wallace, a school administrator, rewrote the novel in 1982, omitting much of the offensive language
Mark Twain is not Huckleberry Finn
Much of the controversy around Huck Finn lies in the mistaken assumption that the views and ideals of the character are the same as the views and ideals of the author
Huck Finn is a satirical novel
Highly critical of society
According to scholar Shelley Fisher, “Huck Finn is the greatest anti-racist novel by an American writer”
Themes include friendship, loyalty, morality, freedom, race, and their places in America itself
Archetypes
Archetype - an original model of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are merely derivative, copied, patterned, or emulated
The river is one of the most vague and ambivalent archetypal symbols in literature
River Symbolism river symbolism "corresponds to the creative power of
nature and time. On the one hand it signifies fertility and the progressive irrigation of the soil; and on the other hand it stands for the irreversible passage of time and, in consequence, for a sense of loss and oblivion."
River Symbolism The river is used as a symbol of movement in
literature:
Crossing the river can represent many things – death (the river Styx); life (the Jordan); finding new life (the Mississippi in Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
By going up a river the character must push against the natural flow of the river's current and this presents a significant struggle to overcome (Heart of Darkness)
River Symbolism Huckleberry Finn utilizes the Mississippi River as
something to flow down, with the current, and away from civilization
By flowing with nature, Huck is moving away from civilized society, which seems antagonistic to nature, especially with its dehumanizing practices such as slavery.
A Problematic Conclusion None of the social issues are ever resolved
Huck reverts to his initial assessment of humanity and society, albeit with more cynicism
Tom reverts to his old ways
Only the character of Jim achieves resolution