FREE ESSAY ON IN THE STYLE OF TWAIN

IN THE STYLE OF TWAIN

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In the Style of Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is said to be  the source from which all great
American literature has stemmed (Smith 127). This is in part attributed to Mark Twain's
ability to use humor and satire, as well as incorporating serious subject matter into his
work. Throughout the novel Twain takes on the serious issue of Huck's moral dilemma. One
such issue which is particularly important in the novel is pointed out by Smith:
He swears and smokes, but he has a set of ethics all his own. He believes 
that slaves belong to their rightful owners, yet in his honest gratitude toward his
friend Jim, he helps him to escape the bonds of slavery. (181)
This is something that tears at Huck throughout the novel and helps Twain show how
complex Huck's character really is. The recognition of complexity in Huck's character
enabled Twain to do full justice to the conflict of vernacular values and the dominant
culture (Smith 125). Throughout Huck and Jim's adventures Huck is constantly playing
practical jokes on Jim who seems to take them all in stride. But unknown to the reader
Twain uses this aspect as another notch in Huck's moral 
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growth. Critic Frank McGill points this out: Huck's humble apology for the prank he plays
on Jim in the fog is striking 
evidence of growth in Huck's moral insight. It leads naturally to the next 
chapter in which Twain causes Huck to face up for the first time to the fact
he is helping a slave escape.(119)
Another serious issue addressed by Twain is the abuse that was given to Huck by his
father. Huck was kidnaped from the Widow Douglas by his father who had heard of his
inheritance. Huck's father then took him to a cabin far away in the woods where he kept
the boy a prisoner, beating him and half starving him. Twain tells us how Huck felt about
life with his father:
Before long Huck began to wonder why he had even liked living with the widow. With his
father he could smoke and swear all he wanted, and his life would have been quiet
pleasant if it had not been for all of the constant beatings. (156)
Huck would soon after grow tired of the beatings and fakes his death to escape the cabin.
The humorous side of Twain is probably what he is most well known for. Humor is
considered an art form by many writers. Jane Bernadette states the difference between
humor and comical stories:
The humorous story is strictly a work of art high and delicate and only an
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artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in telling the comic and the witty story;
anybody can do it. The art of telling a humorous story-understand, I 
mean by word of mouth, not print-was created in America and has remained 
at home. (159)
Twain satirizes the south for its seriousness on certain matters. I think one of the most
notably southern traits of Mark Twain's humor is its power of seeing the fun of southern
seriousness(Bernadette 175). Twain also satirizes the society of the 'day' by describing
the colonel Grangerford as the symbol of southern aristocracy(245). Twain also goes on to
satirize the south's racism. One such instance is pointed out in the novel when Aunt
Polly hears of a steamboat explosion.  Good gracious is anyone hurt? No, it just killed a
negro (209). Religious satire is another aspect that Twain uses. An easy illustration of
this is the Widow's attempt to teach Huck religious principles while she persists on
keeping slaves. Huck's principles of morality make him more 'Christian' than the Widow
even though he takes no interest in her lifeless principles(Bernadette 288). Twain's
humor has been mistaken by some to be racist or politically incorrect. The humor of Mark
Twain contains a sense of the incongruous which frontiersmen felt in a region where
civilization and uncultivated nature come face to face (McGill 95). 
In conclusion I think that the style and structure of Mark Twain's work not only
exemplifies him as a humorist but as a serious writer as well ; a writer who cannot be 
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of 
boyhood adventure or as a relic of an American frontier or the voice of idiosyncracy is
to do him disservice (McGill 211).
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Works Cited
Bernadette, Jane. American Realism . Toronto: Educational Resources Corporation, 
1972.
McGill, Frank. American Writers. Montana: University of Montana, 1974.
Smith, Henry. Mark Twain: Development of a Writer. London: Oxford Press, 1962
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Penguin Press, 1996