PhotosofMarkTwainMorePhotos(1) LifeA.MarkTwainisthepseudonymofSamuelLanghorneClemens.“MarkTwain”means“twofathomsdepthofnavigablewater”.B.HelivedinatownnamedHannibalalongtheMississippiwhenhewasachild.Hislifeexperienceinthetownwasusedinhisfamousnovels.C.Hisfatherdiedwhenhewas12andthenheleftschool.D.HelivedonallkindsofoddjobsandthenwenttotheWest.Heworkedasareporterthereandwrotelotsoffrontierhumors.E.AftermarriagehemovedtoNewEnglandandthengraduallybecameafamouswriter.F.Hislatelifewasatragedy.(failureofinvestment,deathofhiswifeandtwodaughters)(2) WorksShortstoryNovelsSocialCriticShortstorymostfamousoneis“TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty”(afrontierhumorwhichmadeTwainbecomefamous)“TheMillionPoundNote”“RunningforGovernor”Novels“TheGildedAge”(ThenovelisnotanexcellentonebutitgivesthenameofanagetheseveraldecadesaftertheCivilWar.)“TheAdventuresofTomSawyer”“TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn”(Thetwoadventuresarehismasterpieces.)“LifeonMississippi”SocialCriticMarkTwainisanidealistwhobelievedfreedom,justiceandbrotherhoodofman.HewrotelotsofpassagescriticizingtheracialdiscriminationtowardsChineseinAmericaandhealsowroteapassagecondemningtheunfairinvasionofChinain1900.OurSelectionThe Gilded AgeThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnA.Setting:around1850s,beforetheCivilWar;asmalltownneartheMississippiB.Plot:Readpage372.C.theme:humanismwillfinallywinD.Notice:thisnovelwasthefirstfamousnovelaboutgrowingupandshowingthecontradictionsbetweenadultsworldandteenagersworldE.Thenovelusedvividdetailsfromactuallifesuccessfully.F.Specialpointofview:serioussocialproblemsdiscussedthroughthenarrationofalittleilliterateboyE.Colloquialstyle:averyimportantcontributionofthisnoveltoAmericanliteratureG.Featuresofthelanguageusedinthenovel:mostlyAnglo-Saxoninorigin,short,concreteanddirectineffect;sentencestructureismostlysimpleorcompound;repetitionofwords;ungrammaticalelementsThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (book-cover and illustration )AnalysisofthisNovelPlot summaryCharactersThemesPlotsummaryLifeinSt.PetersburgTheGrangerfordsandtheShepherdsonsTheDukeandtheKingJimsescapeConclusionCharactersHuckleberry FinnTom SawyerWidow Douglas and Miss WatsonJimPapThe duke and the dauphin Judge Thatcher Huckleberry FinnTheprotagonistandnarratorofthenovel.Huckisthethirteen-year-oldsonofthelocaldrunkofSt.Petersburg,Missouri,atownontheMississippiRiver.Frequentlyforcedtosurviveonhisownwitsandalwaysabitofanoutcast,Huckisthoughtful,intelligent(thoughformallyuneducated),andwillingtocometohisownconclusionsaboutimportantmatters,eveniftheseconclusionscontradictsocietysnorms.Nevertheless,Huckisstillaboy,andisinfluencedbyothers,particularlybyhisimaginativefriend,Tom.Tom SawyerHucksfriend,andtheprotagonistofTom Sawyer,thenoveltowhichHuckleberry Finnisostensiblythesequel.InHuckleberry Finn,TomservesasafoiltoHuck:imaginative,dominating,andgiventowildplanstakenfromtheplotsofadventurenovels,TomiseverythingthatHuckisnot.Tomsstubbornrelianceonthe“authorities”ofromancenovelsleadshimtoactsofincrediblestupidityandstartlingcruelty.HisrigidadherencetosocietysconventionsalignsTomwiththe“sivilizing”forcesthatHucklearnstoseethroughandgraduallyabandons.Widow Douglas and Miss WatsonTwowealthysisterswholivetogetherinalargehouseinSt.PetersburgandwhoadoptHuck.ThegauntandsevereMissWatsonisthemostprominentrepresentativeofthehypocriticalreligiousandethicalvaluesTwaincriticizesinthenovel.TheWidowDouglasissomewhatgentlerinherbeliefsandhasmorepatiencewiththemischievousHuck.WhenHuckactsinamannercontrarytosocietalexpectations,itistheWidowDouglaswhomhefearsdisappointing.JimOneofMissWatsonshouseholdslaves.Jimissuperstitiousandoccasionallysentimental,butheisalsointelligent,practical,andultimatelymoreofanadultthananyoneelseinthenovel.Jimsfrequentactsofselflessness,hislongingforhisfamily,andhisfriendshipwithbothHuckandTomdemonstratetoHuckthathumanityhasnothingtodowithrace.BecauseJimisablackmanandarunawayslave,heisatthemercyofalmostalltheothercharactersinthenovelandisoftenforcedintoridiculousanddegradingsituations.PapHucksfather,thetowndrunkandneer-do-well.Papisawreckwhenheappearsatthebeginningofthenovel,withdisgusting,ghostlikewhiteskinandtatteredclothes.TheilliteratePapdisapprovesofHuckseducationandbeatshimfrequently.Paprepresentsboththegeneraldebasementofwhitesocietyandthefailureoffamilystructuresinthenovel.The duke and the dauphinApairofconmenwhomHuckandJimrescueastheyarebeingrunoutofarivertown.Theolderman,whoappearstobeaboutseventy,claimstobethe“dauphin,”thesonofKingLouisXVIandheirtotheFrenchthrone.Theyoungerman,whoisaboutthirty,claimstobetheusurpedDukeofBridgewater.AlthoughHuckquicklyrealizesthemenarefrauds,heandJimremainattheirmercy,asHuckisonlyachildandJimisarunawayslave.Thedukeandthedauphincarryoutanumberofincreasinglydisturbingswindlesastheytraveldowntheriverontheraft.Judge ThatcherThelocaljudgewhosharesresponsibilityforHuckwiththeWidowDouglasandisinchargeofsafeguardingthemoneythatHuckandTomfoundattheendofTom Sawyer. WhenHuckdiscoversthatPaphasreturnedtotown,hewiselysignshisfortuneovertotheJudge,whodoesntreallyacceptthemoney,buttriestocomfortHuck.JudgeThatcherhasadaughter,Becky,whowasTomsgirlfriendinTomSawyerandwhomHuckcalls“Bessie”inthisnovel.ThemesRacism and SlaveryIntellectual and Moral EducationThe Hypocrisy of “Civilized” SocietyRacism and SlaveryAlthoughTwainwroteHuckleberry FinntwodecadesaftertheEmancipationProclamationandtheendoftheCivilWar,AmericaandespeciallytheSouthwasstillstrugglingwithracismandtheaftereffectsofslavery.Bytheearly1880s,Reconstruction,theplantoputtheUnitedStatesbacktogetherafterthewarandintegratefreedslavesintosociety,hadhitshakyground,althoughithadnotyetfailedoutright.AsTwainworkedonhisnovel,racerelations,whichseemedtobeonapositivepathintheyearsfollowingtheCivilWar,onceagainbecamestrained.TheimpositionofJimCrowlaws,designedtolimitthepowerofblacksintheSouthinavarietyofindirectways,broughtthebeginningofanew,insidiousefforttooppress.ThenewracismoftheSouth,lessinstitutionalizedandmonolithic,wasalsomoredifficulttocombat.Slaverycouldbeoutlawed,butwhenwhiteSouthernersenactedracistlawsorpoliciesunderaprofessedmotiveofself-defenseagainstnewlyfreedblacks,farfewerpeople,NorthernorSouthern,sawtheactasimmoralandrushedtocombatit.AlthoughTwainwrotethenovelafterslaverywasabolished,hesetitseveraldecadesearlier,whenslaverywasstillafactoflife.ButevenbyTwainstime,thingshadnotnecessarilygottenmuchbetterforblacksintheSouth.Inthislight,wemightreadTwainsdepictionofslaveryasanallegoricalrepresentationoftheconditionofblacksintheUnitedStatesevenaftertheabolitionofslavery.JustasslaveryplacesthenobleandmoralJimunderthecontrolofwhitesociety,nomatterhowdegradedthatwhitesocietymaybe,sotoodidtheinsidiousracismthataroseneartheendofReconstructionoppressblackmenforillogicalandhypocriticalreasons.InHuckleberry Finn,Twain,byexposingthehypocrisyofslavery,demonstrateshowracismdistortstheoppressorsasmuchasitdoesthosewhoareoppressed.Theresultisaworldofmoralconfusion,inwhichseemingly“good”whitepeoplesuchasMissWatsonandSallyPhelpsexpressnoconcernabouttheinjusticeofslaveryorthecrueltyofseparatingJimfromhisfamily.Intellectual and Moral EducationByfocusingonHuckseducation,Huckleberry Finnfitsintothetraditionofthebildungsroman:anoveldepictinganindividualsmaturationanddevelopment.Asapoor,uneducatedboy,forallintentsandpurposesanorphan,Huckdistruststhemoralsandpreceptsofthesocietythattreatshimasanoutcastandfailstoprotecthimfromabuse.Thisapprehensionaboutsociety,andhisgrowingrelationshipwithJim,leadHucktoquestionmanyoftheteachingsthathehasreceived,especiallyregardingraceandslavery.Morethanonce,weseeHuckchooseto“gotohell”ratherthangoalongwiththerulesandfollowwhathehasbeentaught.Huckbasesthesedecisionsonhisexperiences,hisownsenseoflogic,andwhathisdevelopingconsciencetellshim.Ontheraft,awayfromcivilization,Huckisespeciallyfreefromsocietysrules,abletomakehisowndecisionswithoutrestriction.Throughdeepintrospection,hecomestohisownconclusions,unaffectedbytheacceptedandoftenhypocriticalrulesandvaluesofSouthernculture.Bythenovelsend,Huckhaslearnedto“read”theworldaroundhim,todistinguishgood,bad,right,wrong,menace,friend,andsoon.HismoraldevelopmentissharplycontrastedtothecharacterofTomSawyer,whoisinfluencedbyabizarremixofadventurenovelsandSunday-schoolteachings,whichhecombinestojustifyhisoutrageousandpotentiallyharmfulescapades.The Hypocrisy of “Civilized” SocietyWhenHuckplanstoheadwestattheendofthenovelinordertoescapefurther“sivilizing,”heistryingtoavoidmorethanregularbathsandmandatoryschoolattendance.Throughoutthenovel,TwaindepictsthesocietythatsurroundsHuckaslittlemorethanacollectionofdegradedrulesandpreceptsthatdefylogic.Thisfaultylogicappearsearlyinthenovel,whenthenewjudgeintownallowsPaptokeepcustodyofHuck.ThejudgeprivilegesPaps“rights”tohissonashisnaturalfatheroverHuckswelfare.Atthesametime,thisdecisioncommentsonasystemthatputsawhitemansrightstohis“property”hisslavesoverthewelfareandfreedomofablackman.InimplicitlycomparingtheplightofslavestotheplightofHuckatthehandsofPap,Twainimpliesthatitisimpossibleforasocietythatownsslavestobejust,nomatterhow“civilized”thatsocietybelievesandproclaimsitselftobe.Againandagain,HuckencountersindividualswhoseemgoodSallyPhelps,forexamplebutwhoTwaintakescaretoshowareprejudicedslave-owners.ThisshakysenseofjusticethatHuckrepeatedlyencountersliesattheheartofsocietysproblems:terribleactsgounpunished,yetfrivolouscrimes,suchasdrunkenlyshoutinginsults,leadtoexecutions.SherburnsspeechtothemobthathascometolynchhimaccuratelysummarizestheviewofsocietyTwaingivesinHuckleberry Finn:ratherthanmaintaincollectivewelfare,societyinsteadismarkedbycowardice,alackoflogic,andprofoundselfishness.