How Does Twain Use Satire In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

In 1885, Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which has come to be known as a very ironic novel. Twain’s use of irony and satire is a major factor in his novels, which he uses to convey different messages. A common theme satirized throughout the novel is human stupidity, which is discussed repeatedly in this novel. Twain does this to promote education and greater intelligence in society. Twain tends to mock people who are uneducated throughout this novel. When Jim learns about the story of Solomon, he is focused on why Solomon is cutting a baby in half rather than focusing on the main point of the story. Many people would think the same thing and say that Solomon is a monster. These same people tend to believe every word of

When Huck is with Miss Watson, she tells him, “to pray every day, and whatever [he] asked for [he] would get it” (Twain 11). He starts to pray for a fishing hook but receives nothing in return. Huck thinks that if he just prays, he will get whatever he wants. Twain is clearly making fun of religious values by saying that religion is useless because people do not actually get anything from prayers. Huck is a self-dependent country boy who had to work for things his entire life. This satire is effective because when being contrasted to prayers and religion, an independent farm boy was able to get what he wanted without doing any prayers. Hucks lifestyle proved that prayers and religion will only get you so far in life. You have to work for the things you need otherwise, life will give you nothing in

When Jim gets captured by the King and Duke, Huck and Jim must go rescue him. Instead of quickly helping him, Tom chose to reenact the adventures he read in Romantic-era novels and had many overcomplicated ploys to help free Jim. Tom wanted to live a life similar to a hero. He used his imagination to create a false perception of reality. Twain was a realist and knew that life is not as ideal as it is portrayed in Romantic novels. He himself went through many hardships in life. One example of this is the many financial struggles/debts Twain went through throughout his lifetime. This struggle shows that life is not as great and happy as it can be perceived to be. Twain’s use of satire to mock Romanticism highlights the theme of human stupidity. The subject of Romanticism is associated with unrealistic ideas and a lack of common sense and practicality. This subject is overexaggerated to show how absurd and foolish these elements can be. This mockery is what solidifies the novel as a successful