Similarities Between Huckleberry Finn And The Minister's Black Veil

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and “The Minister’s Black Veil” both portray the corruption of society by how everyone sticks with the norms of society. Mark Twain exemplifies Huck as a character repeatedly escaping from society which leads back to the river, which symbolizes Huck’s source of freedom. Twain introduces Sherburn into the story who delivers a powerful speech which he criticizes the crowd, “So they always acquit; and then a man goes in the night, with a hundred masked cowards at his back, and lynches the rascal. Your mistake is, that you didn’t bring a man with you; that’s one mistake, and the other is that you didn’t come in the dark and fetch your masks” (Twain 146). Colonel Sherburn, is commenting on the false bravery and

Hawthorne, influenced by his Puritan ancestors, criticize Puritanism by the use of symbols and parables. The veil worn by Reverend Hooper in “The Minister’s Black Veil” separates him from society, and from God. Whether this separation is voluntary or imposed depends on how one looks at the situation. Voluntary, Reverend Hooper knows that his wearing the veil will cause people to avoid him, and yet he wears in anyway. It is apparent in that Revered Hooper would really prefer to be treated normally by his neighbors and parishioners. The veil can be interpreted as a symbol of the ways and practices Puritans, as well as people today, misleading others of the sins they have committed while completely and truly facing themselves. The veil is used as a daily reminder of people's sins, undeniable truths, guilt, and secrets that they are just unwilling to admit. Hooper uses a parable to influence his congregation which the community's admiration for him turns to confusion and fear, and he is forced to live a lonely, isolated life. Many people in the congregation assume that Hooper is keeping a secret sin from them and in turn and since black veils are a sign of mourning, they thus assume death. The black veil is a

Watson and Pap. When Pap returns for Huck and the matter of custody is brought before the court, which force to see the corruption of society. The judge rules that Huck belongs to Pap, and forces him to obey an evil and abusive man who drinks abundantly and beats his son. In this case, Pap symbolizes the viciousness and cruelty of civilization. Later, when Huck makes it look as though he has been killed, society is more concerned over finding Huck's dead body than rescuing his life from Pap. The society is more anxious about finding a dead body than it is in the safety of people. The situation prepares Huck’s need to escape from society. Huck prefers the freedom of the wilderness compared to the limitations and restrictions of society, "It was pretty good times up in the woods there, take it all around" (Twain 32). Huck struggles for freedom from two families, where he tries to stay away from getting "sivilized" from Widow Douglas/Ms. Watson and tries to escape his father’s brutality. Twain implies that Pap’s human nature makes Huck more afraid of society and want to search for