May 1, 2011

Huckleberry Finn

Throughout the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the theme of the hypocrisy of civilized society appears whenever various town inhabitants interact with the main characters. The town members can appear as congenial individuals such as Sally Phelps, or as a vindictive group such as the audience of The Royal Nonesuch. In either case, hypocrisy resides within the actions of those involved. This hypocrisy defines the collective ideologies behind many pre-Civil War communities.

In Chapter 22, Colonel Sherburn presents a speech to a vengeful mob awaiting his surrender. Standing on the roof of his front porch, he speaks of the mob’s weaknesses. He states that The average man is a coward.” The townspeople are afraid to back down after their collective anger drives them to attempt a lynching, only to be confronted by Colonel Sherburn. In Chapter 23, the Duke and Dauphin perform a show called The Royal Nonesuch. The audience is appalled by the performance and, to avoid personal embarrassment, encourages others to attend so they won’t be the only ones fooled. These examples express the greed and subservience of society.

In Chapter 5, a new judge arrives in town and presides over the custody issue between Huckleberry and Pap. Refusing to separate father and son, he reasons that Courts mustn’t interfere and separate families if they can help it.” Consequently, Pap retains custody of Huck instead of the Widow Douglas, as the judge naively prioritizes family unity over Huck’s safety, ignoring Pap’s abusive nature. The new judge is ignorant and his plans are to no avail. This action furthers the idea of society’s accepted customs.

Chapter 32 introduces Sally Phelps, Tom Sawyer’s aunt, who is also a slave owner. She represents a member of society who is seemingly kind and respectful, yet owns slaves. This is highly controversial and a prominent example of the hypocrisy of society around the 1840s. Sally appears kind and respectful but remains complicit in slavery, treating enslaved people well while still believing in the institution. Huck learns throughout the book about the flaws of slavery through his experience helping Jim escape.

A similar reference to slavery is found in Chapter 35, where Jim acts upon Tom’s requests. Jim is imprisoned and continues to follow Tom’s elaborate and unnecessary escape plans, trusting that Tom’s scheme will ultimately lead to his freedom. Though Tom’s aim is to help Jim escape the shed, he still treats him as inferior. This behavior is mutually accepted because it is the status quo of society at the time.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents a unique view of the hypocrisy of civilized society through the eyes of a young white boy—namely Huck. Through various examples, the accepted social practices around the 1840s are exposed. Society is seen as selfish, subservient, and ignorant. Sometimes even innocent, amiable characters such as Sally Phelps are susceptible to the questionable ways of the world.


Written for a high school class.


School


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