Criticism Of Huckleberry Finn Society Essay

Words: 910
Pages: 4
Open Document
The Criticism of American Society

In the story, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, Twain uses satire to criticize the American society. Satire is the use of humor or irony to ridicule or criticize any issue. In this story, Mark Twain fills the pages with this literary tool to "poke fun" at many different social institutions or ideas. From the first page to the last, Twain secretly spoke his mind on how he envisioned society. His opinions during this time period were drastically different from others. Whether Mark Twain was describing his thoughts on slavery to romanticism and everything in between, he had something to say about all of it. The major focal points of satire though include slavery, government, and religion. …show more content…
In the story, Huckleberry Finn had a horrible father in the name of Pap. Pap was abusive and racist and was absolutely no good father figure for Huck. Pap would go into town every day, get drunk, start a ruckus, and then come back home to Huck and start problems with him as well. All Huck Finn was good for in the eyes of Pap was bringing in a source of income for the "family". Well, in the beginning of the novel, Huck Finn was staying with the widow in a more civilized and structured environment where Huck was taken care of. In addition, the widow and Judge Thatcher try to gain custody of Huck Finn. But, the new judge in town denies their custody and believes Huck is to be held by his biological father, Pap.

This situation firmly satirizes Mark Twain's opinion on America's legal system. Even though the townspeople and even the new judge knew of Pap, they still rewarded him with custody, putting the child in a bad situation. Pap was an alcoholic, abusive father, and a coward of a man with poor character. He is the definition of someone who does not deserve custody of a child. This instance is just a small piece of Mark Twain describing how messed up he thought the government and legal system was during this
Show More

Related Documents: Criticism Of Huckleberry Finn Society Essay

How Does Twain Use Satire In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there are many aspects to consider for analysis. Among them are characterization, style, and criticism. Mark Twain and his story really nail these aspects. In this essay, I will explain how characters develop, how Twain uses a technique called Satire, and even how people have criticized the writing of the book. How can a book that explains so much about a certain view on society be criticized? As the characterization comes up in The Adventures…

Words 1064 - Pages 5

Silent Spring - Rachel Carson Essay

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources. ©1998-2002;…

Words 30115 - Pages 121

103 American Literature Final Exam Essay example

Final Exam I. Multiple choice: 1% x 30 = 30% 1865-1914 1. The novels and short stories of Henry James and Edith Wharton tended to focus on (A) the tragic outcomes of impoverished characters living in industrialized urban wastelands. (B) the ordeals of isolated characters living as survivalists in the sparsely populated hinterlands of the United States. (C) the inner psychological lives of privileged upper-class characters. (D) the exploits of characters with startling accomplishments and impressive…

Words 5468 - Pages 22