Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is both an adventure novel and a satire. Remember satire "mocks or pokes fun at something to show how wrong, ridiculous, or evil something is." Much of the humor of Huckleberry Finn, as well as the serious satire, comes from Huck's being unaware of the comic implications of what he says. What Huck takes seriously, Twain often means to be comic. Explore one of these events in chapters 1-15 and explain the difference between what Huck says and what Twain means. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight, June 28, 2013. Remember post your first name and last initial after your response.)
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The Wit and Wisdom of Twain
Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is both an adventure novel and a satire. Remember satire "mocks or pokes fun at something to show how wrong, ridiculous, or evil something is." Much of the humor of Huckleberry Finn, as well as the serious satire, comes from Huck's being unaware of the comic implications of what he says. What Huck takes seriously, Twain often means to be comic. Explore one of these events in chapters 1-15 and explain the difference between what Huck says and what Twain means. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight, June 28, 2013. Remember post your first name and last initial after your response.)
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Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to mock society. Several instances can be found in the beginning of the book, and the following example is from the third chapter. After Huck Finn tries to sneak out one night, Miss Watson does not become infuriated but rather tells him to “pray every day, and whatever [he] asked for [he] would get it (8)”. Huck decides this is false as he “once got a fish-line, but no hooks (8)”, and he could never seem to receive the hooks he had prayed for. Several failed attempts cause Huck to ask Miss Watson to try for him, but all she does is call him “a fool”; Huck can seriously not figure out why she thinks so. Another observation that confuses Huck is not even the most pious people can obtain their prized worldly possessions, so he decides, “there ain’t nothing in [asking in prayer] (8)”. After he tells Miss Watson his thoughts, she says that “the things a body could get by praying for it was ‘spiritual gifts’ (8)” and explains that he must, in addition, “helps other people, and do everything [he] could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about [himself] (8)”. Utterly bewildered, Huck takes to the woods to thinks again, and this time he decides that he “couldn’t see no advantage about it – except for the other people – so at last [he] reckoned [he] wouldn’t worry about it any more, but just let it go (8)”.
Twain, in this situation, makes fun of how selfish society is, even in religious matters. Huck interprets Miss Watson’s lesson about asking in prayer to mean that he can simply ask for any item he desires and receive it. Often, people do not realize the type of “gifts” they are to ask for and fail to follow the steps before asking. Huck decides if he cannot get such gifts and has to also help people the whole idea is useless to him. By this, Twain points out the people who are too selfish to help people if it does not help themselves, and how they degrade prayer because they do not receive worldly items. Mark Twain successfully uses his character Huck Finn to poke fun at how ridiculously selfish people were back then in society and now – even when faced with prayer in religion.
--Hannah S.
On page 12, chapter one, it is obvious that Huck is oblivious to religion and any religious practices. With this mind set he says things that could be seen as offensive but due to his innocence and ignorance become humorous to the reader. "When you got to the table you couldn't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck dowmln her head and grumble a little over the victuals..." (pg 12) Here he is genuinly confused as is he in the following paragraph: "Pretty soon I wanted a smole, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said it was a mean practice and said it wasn't clean....Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody, being gone, you see, yet finding fault with me for doing a thing that had some good in it.." he is sincere in his argument, but a more educated person would find this pleasurable to hear because of that sincerity and naiveness. Therefore Mark Twain uses satire even in the opening stages of this novel.
Tara R.
An example of when Huckleberry Finn was satire and Mark Twain was serious was in chapter three. "I set down, one time, back in the woods, and had a long think about it. I says to myself, if a body can get anything They pray for, why don,t Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can't the widow get back her silver snuff-box that was stole? Why can't Miss Watson fat up(13-14)?". Huck Finn is not a religious person. He believes there is no use in praying if you can't get fat or get back money lost on pork. Most people have a religious view on things. Mark Twain knew this. He wanted the reader to laugh at these remarks. Huck Finn thinks that if one prays for something, one should receive it right then. His lack of religious knowledge is one way that Twain makes Finn's satire and serious times funny to his readers.
Brittney P.
While Huck is at the breakfast table in chapter 4, he knocks over the saltshaker. "I reached for some of it as quick as I could to throw over my left shoulder and keep off the bad luck." Huck isn't a religious person and finds religion to be nonsense. He would rather trust his heart and his superstitious beliefs than to trust organized religion. Throughout the novel there are many events that occur that Huck and Jim believe occurred because of their bad luck and superstition. I believe Mark Twain wanted the reader to notice how Huck is so skeptical of religion and to just believe in what he thinks is right.
Lealah W.
Mark Twain uses satire throughout his novel to create a comic effect as well as adding to Huck's character. The most major use I've seen has been related to religion and superstition. In chapter 4, page 19, Mark Twain talks about Jim's hairball that has a spirit inside of it. However, Huck believes that it's real. For example, he says,"He said sometimes it wouldn't talk without money." Huck believes this is true and mentions giving him a counterfeit quarter. Then Jim says the hairball will now tell his whole fortune. I believe superstition and religion play a huge part in this book as well as being part of the satire Mark Twain uses throughout his entire novel.
Aulora R.
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