Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Escape From...

Huckleberry Finn - Escape From a Cruel and Oppressive Society America... land of the free and home of the brave; the utopian society which every European citizen desired to be a part of in the 18th and 19th centuries. The revolutionary ideas of The Age of Enlightenment such as democracy and universal male suffrage were finally becoming a reality to the philosophers and scholars that so elegantly dreamt of them. America was a playground for the ideas of these enlightened men. To Europeans, and the world for that matter, America had become a kind of mirage, an idealistic version of society, a place of open opportunities. Where else on earth could a man like J. D. Rockefeller rise from the streets to become one of the richest men of†¦show more content†¦Too precious and dear to let go, the South held on to this institution until the Thirteenth Amendment was signed in by Lincoln in 1865. In this hypocritical society is where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn finds itself. Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an epic story of the journey of a redneck boy and a runaway slave, escaping the grips of society in the hope of a chance at the freedom they long for so dearly. The novels author, Mark Twain, also grew up in this society. Samuel Clemens, Twains birth name, led a life that had a great influence on the works that he produced later in his life. Born in Florida, Missouri, Clemens childhood was filled with adventures much like those found in both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Following his childhood experiences, Clemens worked on steamboats on the Mississippi River up until the river was closed during the Civil War. The war opened his eyes to the issue of slavery, which shows up in many of his works, including Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn takes place when slavery was very much a part of Southern culture and society, nearly thirty years prior to the Civil War. Since the institution of slavery was such a stronghold of Southern society during Huckleberry Finn, Hucks helping bring Jim to freedom makes him an outlaw. In James Wrights The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published in GreatShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay1756 Words   |  8 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn â€Å"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.† (Twain, ix) Mark Twain opens his book with a personal notice, abstract from the storyline, to discourage the reader from looking for depth in his words. This severe yet humorous personal caution is written as such almost to dissuade his readers from having any high expectationsRead More No Color Barrier in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1830 Words   |  8 PagesNo Color Barrier in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead (221). Mark Twains, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a tale about a boy in search for a family and a place he can truly call home. Through his adventure, he rids himself of a father that is deemed despicable by society, and he gains a father that society hasnt even deemed as a man. This lonely and depressed young boy only finds true happiness when he is befriendedRead MoreSlavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1193 Words   |  5 Pageslasted the duration of America’s existence includes black people’s fight for their freedom: from the Civil War to Civil Rights. During the first half of civilization in America, slaves were kept in physical captivity, which inhibited their freedom. For the remaining half, slaves were segregated and looked down upon, hindering their mental freedom. Throughout Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, two captives take a journey in order to free themselves, one for mental freedom, and the otherRead MoreThe New Land Of America Essay1619 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to the professor of history at South Carolina State University, Doctor Stanley Harrold, â€Å"The Atlantic slave trade began in Africa in the mid-1400s and lasted into the 19th century. Initially, Portuguese traders purchased small numbers of slav es from kingdoms on the western coast of Africa and transported them for sale in Portugal and Spain. The Atlantic slave trade did not become a huge enterprise until after European nations began colonizing the Americas during the 1500s. During the 1600s theRead MoreHuck Finn1657 Words   |  7 Pageswas dead (221). Mark Twains, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a tale about a boy in search for a family and a place he can truly call home. Through his adventure, he rids himself of a father that is deemed despicable by society, and he gains a father that society hasnt even deemed as a man. This lonely and depressed young boy only finds true happiness when he is befriended with a slave named Jim. Although Huck Finn was born and raised into a racially oppressive society, it is through hisRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 PagesWisdom in Europe: Some Highlights 5 Renaissance Humor: Erasmus, Rabelais, Cervantes, Shakespeare 5 Two European Russians: Anton Chekhov and Vladimir Soloviev 9 Reflections on Humor from Nietzsche to the Theatre of the Absurd 12 Humor and Wisdom in the United States: Lincoln, Beecher, Twain, Sandburg, and Buchwald 17 From The Times (of London) obituary on him (January 19, 2007) that mentioned his â€Å"wit and wisdom† in its title, available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1294342Read MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesNot Treating It Fairly ..................................................................... 174 Not Accepting the Burden of Proof ............................................................................................. 175 Diverting Attention from the Issue ............................................................................................. 176 Re-defining the Issue ....................................................................................................................