How Does Twain Use Satire In Huckleberry Finn

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Famous novelist, Mark Twain writes his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to criticize the moral conditioning of society. Twain satirizes racism through slavery as Huck, the protagonist, goes on a journey with Jim, a freed slave, that he helps in escaping. Huck feels guilty throughout the journey because in helping a slave escape, he goes against the social ethics of society. His journey teaches himself that what society taught him is morally wrong, and he is willing to burn in hell to make things right. Twain uses satirical irony, mockery, and absurdity to achieve his purpose in criticizing the treatment toward African American slaves.
Throughout the novel, Twain employs mockery to question the way society looks at African Americans and slaves. He …show more content…

The incongruity displayed through Tom Sawyer and the Grangerford family creates schemes that showed their character's immaturity. Huck followed Tom’s plan to save Jim and if Huck didn’t follow through with the plan, it saved Jim from a lot of pain. Tom’s irrational thoughts concluded "[the plan] was for us to run him down the river, on the raft, and have adventures plumb to the mouth of the river, and tell him about his being free, and take him back home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time... and then he would be a hero, and so would we". This reveals how immature and greedy Tom is and how he would risk a black man’s life you prove he is a hero. Overall, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, criticizes the moral conditioning of society. Twain utilizes situational irony, mockery, and absurdity to satirize racism through Huck’s journey. Twain’s use of stereotypes uncovers racial hypocrisy by criticizing the way society has taught young kids to think about black people. Twain uses irony to mock the way the government treats slaves and African