Examples Of Satire In Huckleberry Finn

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to provide commentary on various aspects of life in the South. He aims to expose human weakness, by criticizing the flaws of society. His use of satire is quite effective, as he successfully ridicules society in the South. In so doing, the author incites the reader to consider his or her own society and devise a method to transform it. Hence, Twain fully illuminates superstition and its profound impact on the characters in the novel. The ongoing feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons contradicts the moral values of “civilized” society. Alcohol symbolizes desperateness, as some of the characters manipulate others for personal benefit. Mark Twain satirizes superstition,

I didn’t need anybody to tell me that was an awful bad sign and would fetch me some bad luck, so I was scared and most shook the clothes off of me. I got up and turned around in my tracks three times and crossed my breast every time; and then I tied up a little lock of my hair with a thread to keep the witches away. But I hadn’t no confidence. You do that when you’ve lost a horseshoe that you’ve found, instead of nailing it up over the door, but I hadn’t ever heard anybody say it was any way to keep off bad luck when you’d killed a spider (Twain

Buck Grangerford clarifies the feud, “A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills him, then that other man’s brother kills him; then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one another; then the cousins chip in – and by and by everybody’s killed off, and there ain’t no more feud. But it’s kind of slow, and takes a long time” (Twain 128), implying this violent battle will continue. Feuds are senseless and comparable to war, as opposing sides are unable to effectively resolve conflict. In certain circumstances, brutality and unnecessary killings are inevitable. Despite their reputations as being well respected, civilized, and upper class, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons are actually filled with hatred and violence. The hypocrisy highlighted about these “civilized” families by Mark Twain is palpable. (Insert sentence) Thus, the author explicates, “Did you want to kill (the Shepherdson), Buck?’ ‘Well, I bet I did.’ ‘What did he do to you?’ ‘Him? He never done nothing to me.’ ‘Well, then what did you want to kill him for?’ ‘Why nothing – only it’s on account of the feud” (Twain 127), proving the pointlessness of the hostility. As the feud started so long ago, neither the Grangerfords nor the Shepherdsons understand why they are still fighting. It is clear both families are clinging onto the past, hoping to finish