...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Classic American Bildungsroman Mark Twain’s famous novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is much more than a story about a boy and an escaped slave adventuring along the Mississippi River; it is a bildungsroman, a coming of age tale. Huckleberry has the mindset of a child in the beginning of the story. Over the course of the novel, Huckleberry gains a more mature outlook on things such as racism. He also becomes a more morally aware individual as a result of his adventures. Although Huckleberry regresses near the conclusion of the novel, it easy to see that he is far more mature than he is in the beginning of the novel and therefore a better person, Huckleberry has come of age. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is difinetly bildungsroman. In the beginning of the novel it is clear that Huckleberry is not mature in the least bit. He has a poor understanding of morals which is to be expected due to his lower class upbringing and lack of education, neither academic nor religious. Huckleberry addresses the fact that he has been living with the Widow Douglas: “she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out” (1). Although Huckleberry ends up not running away, it is clear to the reader that he is not happy trying to be civilized. He is a typical teenager...
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...Mark Twain’s widely known and appreciated novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follow countless boyhood adventures between the rambunctious young boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. While Twain’s novels depict long playful summer days spent in the sun, his work is far from children’s literature. Twain’s novels include dark adult themes such as death, ignorance, physical punishment, deceit and most prominently, racism. Twain modeled both novels based on his own life experiences growing up along the Mississippi River (Frost), hoping to mirror how one's surroundings influence their character development, furthermore shaping who they will become. To do so, Twain creates a world of struggle for his protagonists,...
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...Huck Finn: Comparing and Contrasting the Controversies Surrounding Banning Books The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, deemed one of the great American novels, was published by Mark Twain in 1884. From the start, this novel has sparked a lot of negative criticism. There were heated debates among critics, and in schools debating whether or not to ban this controversial piece of literature. In today's society, this book still offends sensitive readers, because it was written in a time when people were not sensitive to the plight of African Americans. Just a month after it was published, The Concord, library in Massachusetts banned all copies stating that it was “Not suitable for trash.” (Ruta1) It was believed, that racism was at the heart of this book, and the content was, and still viewed as being harsh. Louisa May Alcott was a popular author who served on the very first library committee in Massachusetts, where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned. She voted against this book from being sold, read or viewed. Criticizing Mark Twain saying that "Huck should not sweat. He should perspire." (Ruta1) Other libraries began removing their copies stating that it is inappropriate for children to read. The number of concerned citizens continue to debate on this subject today. Derogatory words are seen throughout this story in reference to showcase the difference between the two classes, white verses black. This book not only celebrates an unlikely friendship between...
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...of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ to show what is revealed about characters and themes Huckleberry Finn is an American Novel written by Mark Twain which was published in 1885. It is one of the first books ever to be written in dialect. In this essay, I will be specifically focussing on the final chapter of the novel and will be showing how the language reveals key points about the characters and themes. Throughout the novel, Jim is constantly referred to as a ‘nigger’. However Huckleberry calls him by his real name, Jim. This shows how Huckleberry values Jim more as a person compared to other people. It shows how spending all this time together has made a special connection and bond between them. Jim has been a father figure to Huckleberry as well as a friend for the whole journey and it plays a powerful role in the novel. In the final chapter, it is very clear to see that Tom Sawyer is an imaginative individual who is adventurous, and is obsessed with wild plans taken from the plots of adventure novels. This is shown when Huck says “And then Tom he talked along and talked along, and says le’s all three slide out of here one of these nights and get an outfit, and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns…” The use of the adjective ‘howling’ when describing the adventures shows how wild Tom is as a person and a character in the novel. He wants to experience the extreme and nothing less. It is obvious to us that Tom serves as a foil to Huckleberry. He shows Huck to be...
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...Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Thousands of moral stories are continuously being read to children throughout the years. Those stories are used to educate, motivate and inspire them while their heart is still “pure.” The purpose of those stories is to change children and their behavior before they are forced to. They are being spoon fed by what society thinks is “right” and what they expect them to follow. So, what if there was a child who never had the chance to learn about being “moral”, could this child still make the right choices? In the book, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain tells a story through the eyes of an imaginative, free-spirited young boy, Huckleberry Finn. Throughout the book, Huck is frequently faced with different dilemmas which force him to make life- altering decisions. He is relentlessly required to choose between “right and wrong” questioning his personal views on what he thinks is acceptable. Although he is being portrayed as a carefree and wild young boy who just craves adventure, he is actually reasonably mature in the choices that he makes. Although he seems like a child, he makes quite mature choices when faced with hurried decisions. He bases his decisions on what is practical, not what he FEELS is right. He is clever and cunning despite what other people see him as, which is wild and out of control. Huck is only a boy who, as imperfect as he is, still cares and has feelings towards others including slaves as opposed to the rest of society...
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...Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he describes the adventures that Huck takes down the river. Huck is the main character, and the narrator of the book. After a while of Huck traveling, he finds his friend Tom Sawyer. Along with Tom, Huck is the one that ends up saving Jim, the black slave who escaped with Huck. Huck and Tom never really agreed on much throughout the story. One of the two always thought that they had the better idea. Huck’s character changes throughout the book as he matures, whereas Tom’s character stays the same as a rebellious boy, even though it is obvious that they are similar. Huckleberry Finn's character is very different from Tom Sawyer, as far as maturity levels. Huck always tried to make the right decision in every situation....
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...The following pages will discuss Huckleberry Finn, a very young kid that father was very abusive with no other family members to take care of him. These two older women tried to care for Huck by the name of Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, they tried to raise him the good old-fashioned way but Huck was too street smarts and hyper to listen to abide by the rules anyway, plus his drunken, despicable dad played a part in his action also. Huck was a fast thinker at all times he faked his death, after his dad tried to get the ladies to sell there slave by the name of Jim to give him money if they wanted to continue to raise Huck. After faking his death, he decided to go down the Mississippi River. Jim went with him because he wanted to go and be free,...
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...Sang Basic English Department, Dezhou University, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, China Email: dz_syx@126.com Abstract—Huckleberry Finn is one of Mark Twain’s outstanding masterpieces. Superficially, it tells a story about a 13 or 14 year old boy’s adventures with Negro Jim on the Mississippi river. In fact, it reflects the growth process of Huck through adventures. His growth is embodied by his choice on independence, his change of attitude towards Jim, his moral growth, and the different social roles he plays. Huck’s growth is influenced by the inner and outer factors. On the one hand, friendship, nature and society make up the outer environment for Huck’s growth. They have great effect on the development of his growth. On the other hand, his own instinct and his sound heart finally decide the direction of his growth. Index Terms—growth, the influence of Jim, nature and society, instinct, sound heart I. INTRODUCTION Mark Twain is a giant in American literature. He is a great realist and satirist in late 19th century. His delicate familiarity with children’s psychology, his thorough understanding of Americans and American society, his great contribution to American English and his immense witty humor have won great respect and reputation among the people around the world. Of all the works Mark Twain accomplished in his life, the Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is the most successful. This remarkable masterpiece brings the world prestige to him. It is the combination of simplicity...
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...Life is constantly testing one’s morality. Morals apply to personal character and showcase ones opinion of good and bad human actions. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, Huck is just a confused thirteen year old boy growing up in the racist American South. He is the son of an alcoholic and is often misunderstood. Those around Huck consider him to be immature, such as Ms. Watson who acts as a caretaker for Huck throughout his father’s absence. As a child, Huck is able to view the world differently than all the adults around him. His experiences throughout his adventures down the Mississippi river force him to question the things society has taught him. During this adventure, he tends to care more about the opinion of others than his own, however his opinion changes in time. Huck’s biggest test of morality is his relationship with Jim, the escaped slave of Ms. Watson. Huck has always been taught that slaves and those of color are below him just because he is white. This is an internal moral struggle for Huck, because he knows to society he is “wrong,” but to him their friendship makes it “right.” The concept of being wrong in the eyes of society and making it right goes beyond just Huck and Jim’s bond. The relationship that Jim and Huck develop over the course of the story is important because the experiences that they share teach Huck to think for himself, allowing him to trust his morals. Huck has grown up in an environment in which Jim...
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...Although Twain satirizes religious in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the main critique he is making is the naiveté of society as demonstrated by the townspeople believing the identity of the King and Duke. When the King and the Duke go to a town pretending to be the brothers of the dead, rich man Peter Wilks. They go to accept the money their “brother” had left for them, and when the Duke argues that it is not wise for them to stay, the King replies, “Hain't we got all the fool in town on our side? and ain't that a big enough majority in any town?” (Twain 134). The King calls the townspeople out on their foolishness and their willingness to follow anyone. This symbolizes the idea that society can not think for themselves, and rely on...
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...parents may choose to discuss what their children are exposed to the idea of removing it from access to the public is absurd. By removing books from school libraries concerned members of society are now limiting children and their potential to expand their horizons. I firmly believe everyone has the right to be exposed to knowledge. By limiting the literature that a young mind is exposed to limits the ability to understand and become open minded. On that note I understand that some books should not be hand to children until they have the mental capacity to comprehend the language and the meaning behind some books as not to see these books as simple stories or to be taken literally. I understand that people have reasons for their censors but it does not mean they are always right. There are four motivational factors that may lie behind a censor’s actions. Those factors are family values, religion, political views, and minority rights. On the basis of family values, the censor is usually threatened by changes in accepted traditional ways of life. They view sexual works as deviations from the norm and want to protect their children from the negative effects of sexual behavior. Censorship based on religion views sexual works as attacks on the religious faith itself. Also, anti-religious works are damaging to the religious beliefs. Themes that are viewed as communistic, un-American, or ungodly would be censored based on their changes in the political...
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...The climax of this novel happens in the pivotal point where Huck growth is finally being shown. It is in this scene where Huck abandons the the duke and the king and starts forming his moral opinion. Jim was placed back into slavery by the conmen and Huck is unsure about what to do. On one end Huck realizes how unfair it is to Jim. On their adventure on the Mississippi River, Jim put up with so many horrible and he was so close to freedom, only to be sold back into slavery. This is even worse considering that Jim ran away because he didn’t want to be a slave in the deep south and yet he ended up one. On the other end, Huck realizes that aiding Jim in his escape is heavily shamed upon on the eyes of his society. At first, Huck feels bad for helping Jim escape and he attempts to write a letter to Miss Watson. He admits that Miss Watson is not a bad person and he is the horrible person for trying to steal her “property”. This is ironic because Miss Watson is actually kind-hearted woman and yet she...
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...In today’s schools, children are exposed to an expanded curriculum. As the world wide web, has opened doors to different cultures’, beliefs, and political stands, our curriculum has change to incorporate the growing need for diverse information. The freedoms to say, write, or have the right of expression in a manner without legal boundaries. As outlined in the first amendment, Americans are to have right to say or believe what we want, and how we want to express it. However, in an attempt to banish ignorance about our history while not offending students from other countries, and cultures, some of our textbooks have been censored. The beginning of book banning in schools is like, “an unnoticeable disease, which multiplied into a deadly cancer that has continued to consume more rights each year” (ALA p. 21-22.2005). When educational entities accept a policy which allow the banning of literature and other works, what effects will this have on the intellectual potential or possible views of our youth? Anytime a constitutional right is denied, the loss may cause many number of issues For example, if we denying a student the freedom to read any book, they wish reduces their freedom. This limitation may provide the child to develop a narrower outlook as their viewpoints maybe less insightful. Once we find that this constitutional right has been compromised, we wonder what right we will lose next. Using censorship is not right as it goes against everything this country was built...
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...Chapter 1 Summary The narrator speaks of his grandparents, freed slaves who, after the Civil War, believed that they were separate but equal—that they had achieved equality with whites despite segregation. The narrator’s grandfather lived a meek and quiet life after being freed. On his deathbed, however, he spoke bitterly to the narrator’s father, comparing the lives of black Americans to warfare and noting that he himself felt like a traitor. He counseled the narrator’s father to undermine the whites with “yeses” and “grins” and advised his family to “agree ’em to death and destruction.” Now the narrator too lives meekly; he too receives praise from the white members of his town. His grandfather’s words haunt him, for the old man deemed such meekness to be treachery. The narrator recalls delivering the class speech at his high school graduation. The speech urges humility and submission as key to the advancement of black Americans. It proves such a success that the town arranges to have him deliver it at a gathering of the community’s leading white citizens. The narrator arrives and receives instructions to take part in the “battle royal” that figures as part of the evening’s entertainment. The narrator and some of his classmates (who are black) don boxing gloves and enter the ring. A naked, blonde, white woman with an American flag painted on her stomach parades about; some of the white men demand that the black boys look at her and others threaten them if they don’t...
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...The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage angst and alienation. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year with total sales of more than 65 million books. The novel's protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage rebellion. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923, and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 2003, it was listed at number 15 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. The novel also deals with complex issues of identity, belonging, connection, and alienation. Plot summary Holden begins his story at Pencey Prep, an exclusive private school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania, on the Saturday afternoon of the traditional football game with rival school Saxon Hall. Holden misses the game. As manager of the fencing team, he loses their equipment on a New York City subway train that morning, resulting in the cancellation of a match. He goes to the home of his History teacher named Mr. Spencer. Holden has been expelled and is not to return after Christmas break, which begins the following Wednesday. Spencer is a well-meaning but long-winded middle-aged man. To Holden's annoyance, Spencer reads aloud Holden's History paper, in which Holden...
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