The Importance of Realism in Huckleberry Finn Essay examples

The novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a complex and witty commentary on the social and moral injustices that existed during the time it was written. Although apparently intended for children, the novel introduces and explores problems like racism, sexuality, and the ability to face challenging moral dilemmas. Mark Twain tells the story of a young boy who aids an escaped slave down the Mississippi River and his moral development throughout and because of this journey. He tells the story in a realist fashion -- providing accurate southern and social dialects, a truthful vision of the societys attitude towards race and class, and even detailed descriptions of the landscape of the Mississippi River that he studied so fondly and†¦show more content†¦We blowed out a cylinder-head Good Gracious! anybody hurt? Nom. Killed a nigger. Well, its lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt (279). The first thing to notice is the two different dialects that Twain exploits in this part of the passage. Aunt Sally, who lives on a cotton plantation and is a member of a higher social class speaks with correct grammar. Huck, in contrast, is poor and undereducated and speaks with broken grammar. Not only does this exemplify the obvious differences in social classes in the south but it also shows Twains dedication to detail. He wants to create a representation of the south as it was right down to the spoken word. He is so adamant about this that he even mentions in his explanatory before the book that the dialects were not done in a hap-hazard fashion, or by guess-work; but pains-takingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech. Such attention to detail implies that the realist aspect of the novel is important and even central to the message. These are real-life attitudes that people had and expressed. The simple recrea tion of this on paper satirizes these attitudes because through Huck, a simple boy who is often confused on the morality of things, the readerShow MoreRelatedHuckleberry Finn: Realism vs. Romanticism1010 Words   |  5 PagesHuckleberry Finn: Realism vs. Romanticism The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, mainly takes place on the Mississippi River, as Huck and Jim pursue their freedom. They persevere through many obstacles and learn life lessons along the way. Twain uses these characters to depict the significance of friendship over societys moral structure. He demonstrates characteristics of both Romanticism and Realism in his novel to express his ideas of that time period. Romanticism is basedRead MoreMark Twain s Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn1755 Words   |  8 PagesMark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a masterpiece and an American classic according to Alex Brink Effgen, a PhD student working on the impact of Twain’s writing (Effgen). Twain expresses the problems that faced America during the 1830s to 1870s through the point of a view of a boy that indirectly expresses his hate for the accepted societal rules that are placed on ideas such as racism. Twain’s use of dialect, language and sym bolism express the Realism era and creates a powerful masterpieceRead MoreRealism In Huck Finn Essay876 Words   |  4 PagesRealism is a major style of writing that emerged in English, European, and American Literature in the nineteenth century (9). The key principles of this literary style are the insistence upon and defence of the â€Å"commonplace†, characters being more important than plot, attacks upon romanticism and romantic writers, an emphasis on morality, which is often self-realized and upon an examination of realism, and the concept of realism as a realization of democracy. 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The author’s purpose of authoring his work is to criticize white society and how they’re ignorant about their religion or using it as a justification. Portrayed in Walt WhitmanÅ› poem,  ¨Song of Myself ¨ from book LeavesRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1773 Words   |  8 Pageswrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a book setting in a 1830s southern American society. Twains delivers the story with all the traditions and customs of an American society. Twain tries to show the wrongness in society, focusing racism and equality. By doing this Mark Twain and his work was both alleged to be racist. The irony is most of the reading public was unable to realize the irony that was used in the novel to attack racism. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a novelRead MoreThe Importance Of Twain s Literary Career1071 Words   |  5 Pagestruly united United States, Mark Twain gave a young nation a voice to sing of itself† (Lederer par. 3). As of today, his work continues to inspire people throughout the world. According to Venturio Media’s website on Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn sells an average of 200,000 copies a year. Initially, Mark Twain’s work seemed to be too unfiltered and pure for the ears of Americans. However, as time went by, people began to see the deeper meaning in his work. Underneath all of the grimeRead More Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Escape From an Oppressive Society6239 Words   |  25 PagesHuckleberry Finn - Escape From a Cruel and Oppressive Society America... land of the free and home of the brave; the utopian society which every European citizen desired to be a part of in the 18th and 19th centuries. The revolutionary ideas of The Age of Enlightenment such as democracy and universal male suffrage were finally becoming a reality to the philosophers and scholars that so elegantly dreamt of them. America was a playground for the ideas of these enlightened men. To EuropeansRead MoreAn Analysis of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn3099 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿HUCKLEBERRY FINN The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the finest works of Mark Twain and probably the most controversial too. This is because it is by no means an ordinary story of Huckleberrys adventures; it is essentially a social commentary on the slavery and post civil war era in the United States. T. S. Eliot in 1950 acknowledged the book as,  ¦the only one of Mark Twains various books which can be called a masterpiece. I do not suggest that it is his only book of permanent interest;