Would you say that Huckleberry Finn is a novel of social criticism? How?

Answer 1

Mark Twain's Huck Finn is a story about racism, friendship, and social criticism experienced through the eyes of a young boy, Huck, and a slave, Jim. The two "stumble" across one another in the beginning of the story and develop a strong friendship based on trust and understanding. Although it takes a while, Huck is eventually able to disregard Jim's color and see him for what he really is: a person. This is something that the rest of country has a problem dealing with, and it shows in their criticism of Jim and Huck's relationship. Throughout the story, Twain is able to use the river and the land as vehicles for social criticism, and at the same time, shows how they differ as means of animadversion.

Huck and Jim use the river as somewhat of a "safe haven" from the rest of the country in times of trouble. In the event that they run into a confrontation it is very easy for them to jump on the raft and get away. The river is also a place where they do not have to worry about being ridiculed or criticized by anyone. To them, it represents a sense of freedom and equality for all men. This is important because this is something they cannot get on the land, where they are always coming in contact with people who refuse to understand/accept their situation. Furthermore, on the water, Huck is able to look at Jim as his equal, but on the land, in the presence of others, he cannot. They both can feel much more comfortable and at ease when they are on the river because they are separated from the rest of the world.

The land represents the total opposite of the river and is used by Twain to portray what life was really like during that time; people were racist, and refused to see things any other way. The majority of black people were slaves, slaves were looked at as property and the lowest possible class, and therefore, any black person was seen as nothing more than a piece of property. This is what made it so hard for people to understand the relationship between a "privileged" white boy and a black man. Because of this, Jim and Huck were always looking over their shoulders while on land trying to avoid being seen. This forced them to avoid the towns and people as little as possible. In turn, this caused Huck and Jim to be isolated from the town more and more, making it harder to reach their goal of setting Jim free.

In the period that Huck Finn takes place, slaves are very common, and, in most cases, accepted by society. This complicates things for Huck and Jim, who are almost always running into trouble because of their "color differences." The criticism they face from society forces them to leave the land and seek refuse on the water where they are usually not bothered. Twain uses this to compare their impact on Huck and Jim as a vehicle for social criticism.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a sequel to Tom Sawyer in the picaresque vein of the latter, being a keener realistic portrayal of regional character and frontier experience on the Mississippi.

It is the story of a flight down the Mississippi of a white boy (Huck) and of a runaway slave (Jim). Really astonishing is the variety of its farce and character.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the supreme masterpiece of American literature - a work which reaches out beyond the limitations of time and touches what is most human in the readers of any age or country.

Hucks character is so morally sensitive that he must undergo a moral testing and development. And Huck becomes a heroic character when, urged on by affection, he discards the moral code he has always taken for granted and resolves to help Jim in his escape from slavery. The intensity of his struggle over the act suggests how deeply he is involved in the society which he rejects.

Huck means by "right" for a ***** to be a slave; if a ***** runs away, every white man has the duty to stop him and take back to his master to be punished. By "wrong", Huck means helping a ***** to escape slavery. The theme of the fragment represents Hucks inner struggle between his prejudices and his humane feelings.

Along the story Huck discovers ***** Jim to be not only a human being, but also a very admirable one. To his astonishment, he begins to have feelings of brotherhood towards him. He is, to a certain degree, aware of the contradiction between these feelings and his prejudices.

He has only to consult his conscience, the conscience of a Southern boy in the middle of the last century, to know that he ought to return Jim to slavery. And when at last he finds that he cannot endure his decision but must change it and help Jim in his escape, it is not because he has acquired any new ideas about slavery.

Hucks instinct is to help anybody in trouble, no matter how they have been mistreated. Any display of human cruelty sickens him no matter what the putative rights and wrongs of the matter. Huck is curiously alone, he is almost impersonally melancholic, he has a desire to wander, to leave no tracks and he betrays a premature nostalgia.

The literary work of Mark Twain belongs to the treasury of world literature because of the acuity of its social criticism, its generous ideals, the authenticity of satire, the irresistible charm of its humour, and the natural expression."

Answer 2

Huckleberry Finn Criticism

Answer 3

Huck finn is often seen a substantial character, based off of the actual life individual Tom Blackensmith,, he has many features, for one, he's an outcast, 2 he's adventurous, 3 he's stable hearted and type

Answer 4

I would agree...in one instance, the placement of Huck Finn with his friend, Jim, indicates the author's desire to discuss racial relations during the 19th century. As they travel together down the Mississippi River, they encounter certain situations which reveal some flaws in Southern social culture...

Answer 5

If you go to http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn/ , you can get an in-depth summary of all the chapters. However, this seems like a question from a homework assignment- I just hope that you're not cheating.