American fiction is driven by the contradictions between the perceived success of American culture versus the reality of American society. Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, and Passing, by Nella Larsen, both feed on this idea, for they both remark and criticize the superficial success of the American society, and reveal its underlying malfunction. In a time in which slavery was morally accepted, Huckleberry Finn remarks on the backwards nature of the oppressive institution. By detailing the adventures of an escaped child, Huck, and an escaped slave, Jim, Mark Twain criticizes the system of slavery that is deeply embedded within the American society during the 1830s.
In his novel, Mark Twain uses the image of an innocent child inflicted with the abuse of an oppressive society to demonstrate the severity of the oppression that lies within the American society. Huck becomes incapable of managing the abuse he faces within his home, so he decides to embark on a journey towards the free states, a symbol of liberty. Along his journey, Huck encounters an escaped slave named Jim; however, unlike most Americans during the time, Huck was not focused on imprisoning the escaped slave, but was instead focused on treating the Jim like a human.
This aspect of the novel clearly criticizes the backwards nature of slavery, for even a child is willing to accept and perceive Jim, a slave, as a human being, while the rest of …show more content…
In a similar fashion, Passing reveals the injustice of racism that continues to persist in American society and culture, despite the so called “progress” that America has undergone in the 100 years after Huckleberry Finn took place. Set in the late 1920s, Passing describes the systems of oppression that remain and flourish in
In his novel, Mark Twain uses the image of an innocent child inflicted with the abuse of an oppressive society to demonstrate the severity of the oppression that lies within the American society. Huck becomes incapable of managing the abuse he faces within his home, so he decides to embark on a journey towards the free states, a symbol of liberty. Along his journey, Huck encounters an escaped slave named Jim; however, unlike most Americans during the time, Huck was not focused on imprisoning the escaped slave, but was instead focused on treating the Jim like a human.
This aspect of the novel clearly criticizes the backwards nature of slavery, for even a child is willing to accept and perceive Jim, a slave, as a human being, while the rest of …show more content…
In a similar fashion, Passing reveals the injustice of racism that continues to persist in American society and culture, despite the so called “progress” that America has undergone in the 100 years after Huckleberry Finn took place. Set in the late 1920s, Passing describes the systems of oppression that remain and flourish in