Huckleberry Finn Appearance Vs Reality Analysis

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In Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, many characters disguise themselves and pretend to someone who they are not. Reality versus appearances is one of the reoccurring themes of the book, and no better is this theme personified than in the characters of the Duke, the King and Huck Finn. Although the reasons for the disguises are all different, the audience is able to fully understand the true nature and morales of the main characters while they are hidden undercover. The con artists, better known as the Duke and the King, introduce themselves to Huckleberry Finn and Jim in order to save themselves. They are utterly desperate for something they cannot honestly obtain, so they must seek to push others down to achieve their goals. As the journey progresses, the two frauds score themselves a show in a local town by claiming to be famous actors. After fooling the crowd with their nonsense, two more performances occur before and the two cons are forced out of the town. The show ran for three nights and revealed to the audience horrible motives and morales of these two characters. The Duke and Kings biggest offense occurs when they present themselves as the brothers of the late …show more content…

Miss Watson teaches him about prayer, Moses and getting to heaven, just to turn around and treat her slaves awfully, smoke and chew. Her actions and attitudes of daily life do not reflect her Christian teachings. The Grangerfords act in the same manner. While the accept George Jackson into their home with open arms and go to church every week, they slaughter the Shepherdsons for reasons unknown to even themselves. Through these examples, the correct reality of moral and ethical beliefs and actions appear. Huck, acting as the reflection of this reality, becomes apparent and forms a steady conscience and strong