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The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets

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As Johann Wolfgang once said, “The decline of literature indicates the decline of a nation.” America was forged by revolutionary literature, which questioned long standing beliefs, or created a national identity, as the constant development of influtional works has helped to keep this nation intact. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain exposes the underlying racism and discrimination in society, while Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane portrays a broken New York City and the grim lives of the lower class. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair uncovers the horrid conditions of the meatpacking industry. These famous works all helped to develop the core values of America, and create a nation that idealized equality amongst all people, highlighted the unreasonably poor aspects of life, and called upon …show more content…

By looking at the portrayal of America in Huckleberry Finn, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, and The Jungle, it is evident that realism instated the core values of equality, self reliance, and transparency, which shaped social activism in the 20th and 21st centuries. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn exposed the underlying racism found in a clashing society, helping to integrate equality as a core value in America, and inspiring people to fight for their rights. In this novel, a young boy known as Huckleberry Finn travels along the Mississippi River with Jim, an escaped slave. His constant negative encounters with the outside world cause him to question his ingrained view on slaves and society. As the story progresses, Huck’s bond with Jim grows, until his racist beliefs are replaced with ideas

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Huck has always seen Jim as a slave until they crossed paths while going down the river. The two develop a friendship and Huck starts to care about Jim and his well being. Although Huck views Jim as someone he cares about, he still sees him as a slave as well. “ I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write that nigger’s owner and tell where he was,” ( Document E). Huck is in a continuous battle with his inner self when it comes to his views on Jim.

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2304 Words | 10 Pages

When one reads The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, themes involving morality and conscience become heavily prevalent. The protagonist, Huckleberry Finn, portrays a manifest dynamic character. His actions and statements ranging from the outset of the novel through its ending show Huck’s development of a more concise sense of morality and conscience prevailing over the societal influences of “right and wrong”. In the nineteenth century American South, the inescapable system of slavery and social hierarchy would have discouraged an interracial bond. Yet Huck, while escaping his abusive father, chooses to befriend Jim, the runaway slave whom he encounters, and shares a pivotal stage in his life with his newfound companion, whereby contradicting

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160 Words | 1 Pages

Living in the 1800s was a very confusing time for a thirteen-year-old American white boy named Huckleberry Finn. African people were faced with inhuman acts of slavery, prejudice, and discrimination. Choosing between what was right and wrong was a challenge, especially for Huckleberry Finn. Huck’s peers tried to corrupt him into believing that slavery was the norm and black people were to be shunned. Mrs. Watson, for example, was Huck’s adoptive mother whom consistently told Huck to not associate with people of the African culture.

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1044 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there are lessons and recurring events in the book that allow it to be viewed in many different ways. This can be done by examining plot points in the book through various literary lenses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be explored and better understood through the feminist and archetypal lenses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, having taken place in the 1830s, displays minority groups in a negative light or denies them a real role in the development of the novel.

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743 Words | 3 Pages

This book proves that not everyone who grew up around racism was cruel, as Huck began to love Jim for who he is, despite the society he grew up in. An example of Huck maturing could come from chapter forty, "I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he'd say what he did say - so it was all right, now, and I told Tom I was agoing for a doctor." (Twain 301). This quote clearly shows that Huck is maturing, and seeing past the color of Jim's skin. The book shows us how hard it was to grow up in a racist society and not be racist.

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570 Words | 3 Pages

The first chapter explores the two major themes of the novel which are race and society begins Twain’s exploration of race and society, two of the major thematic concerns in Huckleberry Finn by implicitly/indirectly contrasting the type of slavery that is typical/normal with the more brutal form of plantation slavery since by describing the “better” version of slavery, Twain more sharply criticize the subtle degradation that accompanies all forms of slavery

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830 Words | 4 Pages

Huckleberry Finn is a novel that deviates from the common ‘proper’ dialect and the general style of the time in order to satirize the Southerner’s beliefs on slavery. Events in this book are described in an honest way, unlike the typical artsy, ‘beautiful journey’ feel of novels at the time. This deviation from the norm encourages Southerners, who are the target audience, to deviate from what they consider to be the norm; slavery. This is a work of fiction based on reality, more specifically a Picaresque Fiction or a realism novel, which is genre Twain is often credited for pioneering. Its original publication date was December 10th, 1884.

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1030 Words | 5 Pages

The novel Huck Finn was meant to criticize, not endorse, such ideas and languages of racism — it takes a correct dissection of the text to understand this, only through reading the book correctly can one see Twain’s criticism of the American

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964 Words | 4 Pages

Although “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published two decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War, America was continuously struggling with racism and postslavery effects, especially in the South. In the early 1860s, Reconstruction of the South occurred in which laws were passed to help integrate freed slaves into society, increasing the tension and conflict between races. One of the most prominent factors of society within the book, never mentioned directly, was the imposition of Jim Crow Laws and the Fugitive Slave Acts (“Jim”). These laws were passed to enforce racial segregation in the South, as well as to provide the return of slaves that escaped from one state or territory to another (“Fugitive”). Race relations

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1063 Words | 5 Pages

At no point, does Twain pretend like the tragedies of slavery did not exist, so neither should society today. Jim did not have an easy life as a slave, Twain made sure to point this out and pointed how some immoral people had it easy. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Twain ensures that Huck and Jim understand inequality so that they prevent it – not embrace it. The literary masterpiece that is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn must be allowed as a symbol of the best humanity has to offer it. It is more than a matter of who is or is not offended.

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900 Words | 4 Pages

The Good, the Bad, and the Dirty Mark Twain and Stephen Crane, the rhyming named duo, both manage to paint a picture of growth and suppression in novels that seem to be created for young adults. Throughout the stories of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, a constant battle between society and the main characters shape and mold how the two go about becoming a decent person. Throughout the stories of both Huck Finn and Maggie, the settings affect how the characters tick inside.

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1510 Words | 7 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a classic novel that every individual should read in his or her lifetime. Many argue that this novel should be banned from the school curriculum, but that would be absurd considering all the lessons and facts it allows students to deeply understand. Racial identity is one major factor behind banning the novel; however, others may argue that a book should not be banned for teaching young adults the truths about the life of slavery in the South. Slavery is a concept many struggle to understand and many will never truly comprehend, but this book allows readers to get a closer look into what the treatment towards African-Americans was realistically like during this era. Taking The Adventures of

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1164 Words | 5 Pages

This a dangerous belief, as it seems that even though Huck goes through major character development, he still see’s African-Americans as less than white people. This notion must be overcome in order for Huck to free Jim for

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1818 Words | 8 Pages

Despite Huck’s constant teasing and mild abuse, Jim exhibits unconditional kindness towards Huck. Jim also proves to be a father figure, disciplining Huck and protecting him from seeing Pap dead in the floating house. He is not clueless and loving like a dog; in fact, Jim is one of the most intellectually and emotionally consistent and whole characters in the novel. Huck’s inability to express his care for Jim further reflects the stigmas held toward interracial relationships in the South and the flawed nature of the narrator, Huck. Jim and Huck’s existence on the raft provides a refuge from society, from the chains that bind Jim and separate him from Huck.

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1124 Words | 5 Pages

The adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a novel set before the Civil war, when slavery was legal and seen as the social norm, but written during post civil war. This novel demonstrates all the aspects or traditional America, as far from what it is today. Mark twain illustrates a lifetime were slavery and racism were seen as a natural part of life. Through incidents, comments by the characters and statements by the narrator 's Twain illustrates a satirical atmosphere on slavery and racism.

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