How Does Twain Use Satire In Huckleberry Finn

In his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, acclaimed author, Mark Twain, satirizes the moral conditioning of society that justifies slavery and extreme racism in the South prior to the Civil War. Twain adopts a critical tone to expose how society is at fault in misleading people to conform to its so-called moral rules, rather than staying true to their values. Twain employs satirical devices including irony, stereotypes, and absurdity to ridicule the attitudes of Americans and the hypocrisy that exists among them. Twain utilizes irony to demonstrate that society’s teachings are unethical and tend to stray away from what is morally correct. Huck, a young adolescent, lives in a world where his conscience is heavily affected by civilization

At the beginning of the novel, Twain depicts Jim as an African-American slave, who is a superstitious fool and falls for the silly tricks that Huck and Tom play on him, but becomes courageous, intelligent, and thoughtful. Twain presents Jim as a human being who has his own feelings and moral dignity, which he proves when he takes responsibility as Huck’s friend and father figure, and explains his plans to live independently with his family. Society trains Huck to think that white men are superior to black men, but throughout his adventures with Jim, he realizes that there is only a difference between being right and wrong, not black and white, and views both races as equal. Huck identifies himself as part of the black race, boldly asserting, “Well, if ever I struck anything like it, I’m a nigger.” (163) Huck would rather belong to an inferior yet ethical race than be a part of a superior but fake race. Twain criticizes The Duke and the King’s intentions to exemplify that they are white frauds, and are only concerned about profit. The Duke complains about how the King made a profit from slavery by selling Jim and claims, “That old fool had made a trade and got forty dollars.”, and Huck replies, “I wouldn’t shake my nigger, would I?—the only nigger I had in the world, and the only property.” (216) Twain’s excessive use of the derogatory term “nigger” emphasizes how whites regarded blacks as property, who were lesser than human beings. These stereotypes demonstrate society’s approval of slave ownership and discrimination against a minority or particular race, especially African-Americans, and prove that its teachings are