Huckleberry Finn Satire

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered to be one of the greatest American novels ever written and continues to be read 133 years later. Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the United Kingdom in December 1884, then later on in the United States in February 1885. The novel is a satire in which Twain gives his views about slavery during that time period. Set in the Mississippi River along Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas, the novel follows the storyline of a young boy named Huck Finn and a runaway slave named Jim. Huck and Jim form a friendship that endures many hardships and troubles. Throughout the novel, Huck faces many moral crises and questions whether or not he should be helping a runaway slave even if they

For the most part, Huck lived with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. He never liked the way that she was trying to change him by teaching him a proper lifestyle. Huck prefered to be himself rather than changing his ways. When living with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, Huck was pretending to be someone that he is not. The river allowed Huck to drift away from the place where he grew up in and escape society and the standards that he has to uphold. Twain states, “I couldn’t stood it much longer. Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. Miss Watson would say, “Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;” and “Don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight;” and pretty soon she would say, “Don’t gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don’t you try to behave?” Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there“ (Twain 2). Huck talks about how he couldn’t stand being a household where he is always being told what to do. The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson were constantly trying to civil Huck and eventually drove him away. Huck preferred to be himself and did not want to change who he was solely to please society. When escaping to the river, Huck was not only trying to be free from his abusive father but he was also trying to be free from

This is shown when Huck and Jim escape to the river and Huck is free from his father, Huck is free from society and civilization, and Jim is free from slavery. When Huck finds an abandoned canoe along the river, he takes that small window of opportunity to run away from his drunken and abusive father. For Huck’s entire life, his father came and left as he pleased and he was never a positive influence in Huck’s life. The river enables Huck to be finally free of his abusive father and would never live in fear of him again. Although Huck was unsure where the river would take him, he knew that the river would take him away from his father. At the same time, Huck wanted to be free from society and civilization. While living with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, Huck lived under strict rules and they were always trying to civil him. They wanted him to learn the proper ways of doing things and essentially change who he was. Huck did not want to follow these rules and uphold to society’s standards of being civilized and proper. The river took Huck away from his father, but at the same time it took him away from the responsibilities of society. As for Jim, the river took him away from slavery. As a runaway slave, Jim had very limited places to go on land without being caught. On the river, Jim was a free man where he could not be found. The river went from the South to the North