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Examples Of Satire In Huckleberry Finn

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In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses satire to bring attention to the problems in the society of that time period. These ideas include hypocrisy, government, and racism. All of these items were presented in the time period of which Huck Finn lived in, and Twain despised how people engaged in these acts on a daily basis. He used his satire to criticize society and its flaws for the greater good of human nature.
First and foremost, Twain wrote these satirical scenes to bring attention to the problems of society in hopes they would try to correct them. A large portion of these scenes was centered around hypocrisy. One of the hypocritical groups Huck encounters in his tale is the Shepherdsons and Grangerfords-two families locked in a family feud. Both of the families have forgotten what the feud is even about, but they refuse to give up, which is costing them many lives in the process. Another fatal flaw- that Twain points out in this scene- of humans is presented in this situation: stubbornness. Huck stays with them for a time before he escapes with Jim again, but what he witnesses reveals a vital flaw in human nature. The two families meet together at a church service; the service is about brotherly love (Twain 110). Everyone comments on how inspiring the message was, but yet they are murdering each other whenever they have the chance (Twain 110-111). Both of the families act like hypocrites, and Twain uses them as satire to point how society
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