The Adventures ofThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry Finn

By By Mark Mark TwaiTwai

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Real name was Samuel Langhorne Real name was Samuel Langhorne ClemensClemens

Born November 30,1835, the night Born November 30,1835, the night Halley’s Comet flashed across the Halley’s Comet flashed across the skysky

Halley’s comet is the only comet Halley’s comet is the only comet visible to the naked eyevisible to the naked eye

Appears about every 75 yearsAppears about every 75 years Grew up along the Mississippi RiverGrew up along the Mississippi River Quit school at age 12Quit school at age 12 Died on April 21, 1910, as Halley’s Died on April 21, 1910, as Halley’s

comet again flashed through the skycomet again flashed through the sky

Novels: Novels:

BEST-KNOWN WORKSBEST-KNOWN WORKS

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Huckleberry Finn

The NovelThe Novel The The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnAdventures of Huckleberry Finn is the is the

sequel to sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. At the end of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry At the end of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry

Finn, a poor boy with a drunken bum for a Finn, a poor boy with a drunken bum for a father, and his friend Tom Sawyer, a father, and his friend Tom Sawyer, a middle-class boy with an imagination too middle-class boy with an imagination too active for his own good, found a robber's active for his own good, found a robber's stash of gold. stash of gold.

As a result of his adventure, Huck gained As a result of his adventure, Huck gained quite a bit of money, which the bank held quite a bit of money, which the bank held for him in trust. Huck was adopted by the for him in trust. Huck was adopted by the Widow Douglas, a kind but stifling woman Widow Douglas, a kind but stifling woman who lives with her sister, the self-righteous who lives with her sister, the self-righteous Miss Watson.Miss Watson.

IntroductionIntroductionMark Twain described the major theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as

“A sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision, and conscience suffers defeat.”

•“A sound heart” is a good heart.

•“A deformed conscience” is a conscience influenced by the laws of society and a sense of duty toward those laws.

Key FactsKey Facts GenreGenre

Picaresque Novel (Fiction)Picaresque Novel (Fiction)• Episodic, colorful story often in Episodic, colorful story often in

the form of a quest or journeythe form of a quest or journey

Narrator & Protagonist Narrator & Protagonist Huck FinnHuck Finn

SettingSetting TimeTime

• Before the Civil War; roughly 1835–1845 Before the Civil War; roughly 1835–1845 PlacePlace

• The Mississippi River town of St. Petersburg, Missouri The Mississippi River town of St. Petersburg, Missouri

ThemesThemes

Racism & SlaveryRacism & Slavery

Intellectual and Moral Intellectual and Moral EducationEducation

The Hypocrisy of The Hypocrisy of “Civilized” Society“Civilized” Society

Racism & SlaveryRacism & Slavery Although written 20 years after the Although written 20 years after the

Emancipation Proclamation, Emancipation Proclamation, America – especially the South – America – especially the South – was still struggling with racism and was still struggling with racism and the aftereffects of slavery.the aftereffects of slavery.

Insidious racism arose near the Insidious racism arose near the end of Reconstruction that end of Reconstruction that oppressed blacks for illogical and oppressed blacks for illogical and hypocritical reasons.hypocritical reasons.

Twain exposes the hypocrisy of Twain exposes the hypocrisy of slavery and demonstrates how slavery and demonstrates how racism distorts the oppressors as racism distorts the oppressors as much as the oppressed.much as the oppressed.

The result is a world of moral The result is a world of moral confusion.confusion.

Intellectual and Moral EducationIntellectual and Moral Education

Huck is an uneducated boy.Huck is an uneducated boy. He distrusts the morals and He distrusts the morals and

precepts of the society that precepts of the society that treats him as an outcast and treats him as an outcast and fails to protect him from abuse.fails to protect him from abuse.

Huck questions his teachings, Huck questions his teachings, especially regarding race and especially regarding race and slavery.slavery.

In many instances, Huck In many instances, Huck chooses to “go to hell” rather chooses to “go to hell” rather than go along with the rules of than go along with the rules of society.society.

The Hypocrisy of “Civilized” SocietyThe Hypocrisy of “Civilized” Society

““Civilized” to Huck means . . .Civilized” to Huck means . . . Regular bathsRegular baths Mandatory school attendanceMandatory school attendance Degraded rules that defy logicDegraded rules that defy logic

• Huck’s drunkard, abusive father gets to keep Huck’s drunkard, abusive father gets to keep custody of Huck because he is his natural fathercustody of Huck because he is his natural father

• The injustice of slavery that keeps Jim from his The injustice of slavery that keeps Jim from his familyfamily

• Seemingly good people are prejudiced slave-Seemingly good people are prejudiced slave-ownersowners

• Terrible acts go unpunished, while milder crimes Terrible acts go unpunished, while milder crimes lead to severe punishmentlead to severe punishment

MotifsMotifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or

literary devices that can help to develop and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.inform the text’s major themes.

ChildhoodChildhood• Huck’s youth is an important factor in his moral Huck’s youth is an important factor in his moral

education; only a child is open-minded enough to education; only a child is open-minded enough to undergo the kind of development that Huck does.undergo the kind of development that Huck does.

Lies and ConsLies and Cons• Huckleberry Finn is full of malicious lies and Huckleberry Finn is full of malicious lies and

scams; the lies are bad and hurt a number of scams; the lies are bad and hurt a number of innocent people.innocent people.

Superstitions and Folk BeliefsSuperstitions and Folk Beliefs• Jim believes in a wide range of superstitions and Jim believes in a wide range of superstitions and

folktales; although Huck is reluctant to believe at folktales; although Huck is reluctant to believe at first, many of the beliefs indeed have some basis first, many of the beliefs indeed have some basis in reality.in reality.

Parodies of Popular Romance NovelsParodies of Popular Romance Novels• The story is full of people who base their lives on The story is full of people who base their lives on

romantic literary models and stereotypes of romantic literary models and stereotypes of various kindsvarious kinds

Tom Sawyer, for example, bases his life and actions Tom Sawyer, for example, bases his life and actions on adventure novelson adventure novels

Major Conflict: Huck’s struggle with his “deformed Major Conflict: Huck’s struggle with his “deformed conscience.”conscience.”

Other Conflicts:Other Conflicts:

The conflict between the individual and society The conflict between the emotional and the rational self Appearance vs. reality (hypocrisy and phoniness) Ignorance vs. enlightenment Tolerance vs. prejudice Man’s inhumanity to man (regardless of race)

ConflictsConflicts

In Huck Finn, the river symbolizes life’s journey, and it becomes symbolic of Huck’s natural virtue. The current determines the direction of the raft as well as Huck’s life.

There is a major contrast between life on the river and life on the shore because life on the river (uncivilized) is peaceful and easy, yet not totally without danger; however, life on the shore (civilized) can be cruel, authoritarian, hypocritical, and reflective of the “Damned Human Race.”

Life on the raft is paradoxical. Even though they are confined to a small space on the raft, Huck and Jim experience greater freedom on the raft.

Major Symbol: The Mississippi River

Twain’s View on SlaveryTwain’s View on Slavery As a schoolboy, Twain As a schoolboy, Twain

had no aversion to had no aversion to slaveryslavery

He was not aware He was not aware there was anything there was anything wrong with itwrong with it

The papers said The papers said nothing against itnothing against it

Churches taught that Churches taught that God approved itGod approved it

He took a strong liking He took a strong liking to blacks when they to blacks when they worked on his family’s worked on his family’s farmfarm

He and his family were He and his family were friends with many friends with many blacks in his home blacks in his home town of Hannibaltown of Hannibal

Twain’s family owned Twain’s family owned a slave that he deeply a slave that he deeply admiredadmired

Twain called him Twain called him “Uncle Dan’l”“Uncle Dan’l”

The character of Jim in The character of Jim in Huck Finn is said to be Huck Finn is said to be modeled after this manmodeled after this man

He is also mentioned He is also mentioned in several other Twain in several other Twain stories under his real stories under his real namename