Theme Of Satire In Huckleberry Finn

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Throughout the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain there are many different examples of satire. Some of these examples are shown through racism. The idea of slavery was imbedded in the mind of every person during the 19th century. One of the main characters, Jim, has lived his entire life as a slave. A word most commonly known and used at this time was the “N” word. Jim is referred to as the “N” word constantly throughout the play and he has grown to ignore the word almost entirely. Jim’s goal is to become a free man to buy back his family, but in order to do this he must overcome many tough obstacles. The theme of this novel is self-confidence is the key to success. At the beginning, Huck’s Pap says, “They said he was a p’fessor …show more content…
Huck gets fidgety thinking about how he would like to turn Jim in, but he does not have the courage to do such a thing to Jim after everything he has done for Huck. In chapter sixteen Huck says, “I didn’t answer up prompt. I tried to, but the words would not come. I tried, for a second or two, to brace up and out with it, but I warn’t man enough” (Twain 68). At this point in their journey, Huck realizes that they have passed Cairo. He knows his trip has just gotten much more difficult now knowing that he is within the southern states. What is being satirized in this piece is that Huck knows that what he is doing is wrong and he wants to make things right, but instead he keeps his mouth shut and he brings a slave even further into the southern states. I have connected this piece to the movie 12 Years a Slave. In this movie the main character, Solomon Northup, says, “I don’t want to survive, I want to live” (12 Years a Slave). Solomon and Jim can connect to each other’s hardships because they are both enslaved and in search for freedom. Both must take risks and overcome hard tasks to achieve what they are trying to do. Jim and Solomon both encounter moments when they think their journey could be over, but that does not stop them from trying. They both show how their hard work and self-confidence will pay off for themselves in the end of their …show more content…
A huge part to success in life during this time was having a lot of self-confidence. Whether it be a slave or a white person, self-confidence was what made Huck, Jim, and Solomon’s journeys pay off in the end. Racism was stuck in the heads of every individual during the 19th century and there was no way to avoid it. They must stay positive about the situations they were part of. Quick decision-making and last minute planning is what helped Huck and Jim succeed in their journey to freedom. Everyone in the world needs a strong case of self-confidence or he or she will realize that many tasks will not be passed as easily. It is hard being part of slavery and still having a strong case of self-confidence, but this did not stop anyone from achieving their dream and that should be the case for anyone and everyone whether it be during the 19th century or even in today’s
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