How Does Twain Use Satire

There are many important and historical themes in Mark Twains “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The one that I found to be the most interesting and the most historically accurate was the controversial racism that is presented all throughout the book. A lot of this time period was predicated on racism, and this book shows it by giving us eye opening examples from beginning to end.

The Satiric Adventure Through Mark Twain's South Satire is the use of comedy, exaggeration and ridicule to criticize people for what they do, what they create, or who they are. Mark Twain uses extensive satire in his novel to depict what he thought the ideology of the South was during this time. Twain denounces many staples of Southern life, during the time period of the book. Racism, religion, and family feuds were substances able to be found anywhere in the South.

The use of Satire in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In his novel the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1884, Mark Twain uses satire frequently as a medium to display his feelings on a range of issues related to society at that time. Throughout the book he ridicules many aspects of society, including the prevalent views on slaves and religion, and their social structure. Even though the novel was set fifty years before it was published, the themes still held true for contemporary society. This led to the novel being criticised widely as a result of it condemning the very society it was presented to.

According to Ernest Hemingway, "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." Along with Hemingway, many others believe that Huckleberry Finn is a great book, but few take the time to notice the abundant satire that Twain has interwoven throughout the novel. The most notable topic of his irony is society. Mark Twain uses humor and effective writing to make The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a satire of the American upper-middle class society in the mid-nineteenth century.

In large part, the focus on this period stems from the central and overwhelming importance of the slavery issue in national politics at this time. It was not until the 1830s that slaveholders fully embraced the defense of slavery as a ‘positive good’”("The Final Century of Slavery in the United States"). Since Huckleberry Finn takes place pre Civil War, around 1835-1845, this sets the story in a time where pro-slavery was beginning to push back against the abolishment of it, meaning that life for the slaves and African Americans as a whole would become much harder just as the story in question began since those who were wanting to keep slaves would begin to think that what they were doing was positive, and if it was a good thing in their mind, they would not care about a slave’s life if it meant they were doing a good deed for society, so why value it at all. That is why Twain wrote the word “nigger” 205 times, to emphasize that the time this is taking place is not good for somebody like Jim, not because the book was meant to be

Mark Twain pokes fun at numerous social institutions in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to show the irony in what he had observed from these institutions. He uses the humor so those reading the classic could hopefully see things how he sees them. The use of satire is effective in getting his thoughts across to the reader. For example, Twain's stance on slavery could be deciphered by what Huck says in reference to slaves and slave-owners as well as feuds and civilizations. The irony and humor that Twain uses in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is successfully used when talking about slavery, family feuds and civilization versus natural life.

Year after year The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel takes place in the south during the year 1845. With his abusive father, and no mother, Huck is left feeling lonely, and as if he has place to call his home. So he decides to leave town, and on in his journey where he encounters a slave he’s familiar with, Jim, who is also running away. This story captures their relationship and growth as they face many obstacles on their way to freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn satirizes people’s greed and violent behavior by mocking the stereotype of southern hospitality.

In Mark Twain’s novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, the novel merely holds a mirror to a racist society. Twain’s technique of displaying slavery, shines a light of how white Americans saw slaves throughout various situations in the novel. He displays a society that is racist by the use of the “n” word, Pap’s views of African Americans and Twain’s portrayal of Jim. Through the use of the “n” word, the novel simply shows a racist society.

Twain expresses his sentiments by taunting the issues woven in their written work. All throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain mocks numerous societal components. Three of these issues incorporate the establishment of slavery, composed religion, and education. By putting the light on slavery and the prejudice barriers set against blacks in Huck's general public, Twain takes a position against these foundations. There are numerous circumstances all through the novel that deride subjection in various ways.

The human race has always boasted its image as the superior species with the ability to think critically, create masterpieces that outlast themselves, and stand on their own two feet; however, when one peers into the true image of human nature, the reality is far from what is portrayed. From discrimination to hypocrisy, the truth has always been exploited to reinforce the “superior species” narrative. Hypocrisy in particular tends to be the most pervasive human flaw and is also “often allied with moral relativism, the personal belief that the moral [,] ethical [, and scientific] standards of others do not necessarily apply to oneself”. Human Beings, or society more

One writing that Mark Twain is not as famous for, but is still a well known piece of work for showing the use of humor in his writings is, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. This work starts off slow without much humor until later on in the writing. The humor picks up as Twain includes bits of sarcasm to the mix. The humor in this short work is not so hidden or subtle as it may have been in some of Twain’s other writings. One example of this sort of dry humor is, “And Smiley says, sorter indifferent like, ‘It might be a parrot, or it might be a canary, may be, but it an't it's only just a frog.’” (Jumping Frog). This shows a side and type of writing that is not usually seen with Twain. Usually the humor in his writings was always sort of hidden away and harder to pick out, but in this work, it is more obvious that he is trying to make it humorous. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” may not be as widely known as some of Twain’s other work, but it is a good example of how he includes humor into his writings to catch the reader’s attention and to provide some comic relief from, at times, tense situations.

In the novel, Mark Twain uses satire to mock different aspects of his world. Before Huck and Jim even make it to the Mississippi, In St. Petersburg, Huck encounters many different aspects and situations made to make fun of, and laugh at American society. Through Jim, Twain mocks slavery, and the way that people treated African Americans. Miss Watson is an example, where she is revered as a good, strong Christian woman, with many strong moral convictions, but owns slaves, and thinks nothing of selling them away from family. (Twain 13) Twain uses satire here to show how hypocritical it was, that someone referred to as a “Good Christian woman” can buy and trade people as if they were property. Another one of his targets of satire in this episode is the idea of romanticism. Twain uses Tom Sawyer as a window to the romantic view on life that was running rampant in the South at the time. An example of this is when Tom and his “gang” would supposedly rob, murder, and steal every sunday, to oppose their going to church (Twain 18)

In Advice to Youth, Mark Twain uses a variety of satirical strategies and tools, including parody, absurdity, innuendo, and dark humor. Mark Twain generally uses sarcasm throughout his essay as well. Twain strives to identify with the youth by making himself seem not credible, which in context to his satirical writings makes sense. Twain’s audience is obviously children, most likely older children/young adults.

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by definition, is a social satire. Through the perspective of a runaway named Huck Finn, Twain brings to light the controversial topics of his time and offers some personal outlook into those matters through use of symbolism and imagery. For some examples, he expresses his abolitionist attitude towards through the friendship between Huck Finn and a runaway slave named Jim, and the ridiculousness of societal expectations through Huck’s own refusal to conform to societal expectations. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain illustrates his societal views by exposing Huck Finn to situations that paralleled controversial events of his time.

Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn best shows the horrors of slavery and the viciously racist beliefs people held in the early to mid 1800s. Twain depicts these horrors by discussing that idea that slaves were treated like property. Blacks were seen as an inferior race, so with the exception of Huck, almost every character in the novel refuses to believe, “that blacks are indeed people...dismissed