Heroes are typically associated as dauntless, valiant, and ingenious characters who are extraordinarily trustworthy. However, not all heroes can boast such reputations. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck, the main hero and protagonist, is often termed as an unreliable narrator due to his lies and exaggerations. After growing up with an abusive father and without a mother, Huck narrates the story of his and Jim’s adventure down the Mississippi. Twain cleverly contrives Huck as the novel’s most compelling hero in order to provide Twain more freedom to write realistically and convey his message more effectively.
Twain depicts a pragmatic view of slavery at the time by employing a common, young, uneducated narrator. Throughout his childhood, Huck was taught societal ideals, which he initially never questioned. From slavery to religion, Huck grew up simply accepting these ideas and thinking they are the right way. John H Davis, a scholarly critic, notes that Huck was “. . .trained to believe that slavery is condoned by Christianity, he believes he is sinning by helping Jim.” (Critical Companion). As a result, when Huck grows close to Jim, Huck is faced with a moral conflict. Although the reader knows Huck is doing the right thing by helping Jim escape from horrific bondage, Huck believes he is “stealing a poor old woman’s nigger that hadn’t ever done me no harm” (Twain 212). Here, perhaps, the greatest irony of the novel arises. After becoming “the best friend old Jim ever had in the world,” Huck feels morally conflicted between following the world he grew up in or breaking away from it all to follow his feelings (Twain 214) . At this point in the novel, the reader understands the irony of the situation. Although Huck is doing a good thing, the way Huck was brought up brings him to believe he will “go to hell” (Twain 214). This irony helps amplify the message of the novel because the paradox becomes extremely obvious, and the reader grows to hate society and its racism. Twain successfully uses Huck’s self-ignorance in order to condemn slavery by mocking society’s ideals. Alongside with condemning slavery, Twain is also able to chastise the social structure and conditions of the time by portraying its ridiculousness through a naive perspective. …show more content…
Both Huck and Jim lay at the bottom of their respective racial social ladder; consequently, they both face extreme hardships. Huck and Jim both grew up uneducated and abused. Both men go on the journey risking their freedom, and both always fall to the mercy of an older, authoritative white adult. Examining the backgrounds of the two men, it seems they are identical; however, Huck, although only a child, has total control over Jim, even though Jim is older and wiser. The idea of white superiority at the time is also evident when Jim is submissive to Huck and Tom’s overly extravagant escape plan. Jim simply follows the boys because he “allowed we was white folks and knowed better than him; so he was satisfied…” (Twain 248). This idea of the racist social structure is best portrayed by using an uneducated, young narrator like Huck because he subconsciously follows the structure society laid out for him. As noted by Davis, “Huck’s novel does not oppose laws, codes, or standards of behavior but rather the blind or unthinking acceptance of rules” (Critical Companion). Twain purposely chose characters from the lowest social ranks within their race and created similar backgrounds. The selection of a young illiterate child as the novel’s main character in comparison to Jim helps portray the world more realistically. However, Twain starkly displays the racial differences by allowing an obviously less experienced young child to lead the mature adult. This stark difference influences the reader to view the social conditions of the time as ridiculous. By using an ignorant narrator, Twain ridicules the social conditions of the time. Similarly, through the eyes of ignorant narrator, Twain successfully provides insight into the world’s hypocrisy and irony from a naive perspective. Huck does not evaluate or interpret events around him and this, in turn, allows Twain to expose lying, hypocrisy, and brutality through a child’s eyes. For example, when Huck stays with the Grangerfords, he witnesses them carrying guns to church and talking about “brotherly love” (Twain 109). Rather
Twain depicts a pragmatic view of slavery at the time by employing a common, young, uneducated narrator. Throughout his childhood, Huck was taught societal ideals, which he initially never questioned. From slavery to religion, Huck grew up simply accepting these ideas and thinking they are the right way. John H Davis, a scholarly critic, notes that Huck was “. . .trained to believe that slavery is condoned by Christianity, he believes he is sinning by helping Jim.” (Critical Companion). As a result, when Huck grows close to Jim, Huck is faced with a moral conflict. Although the reader knows Huck is doing the right thing by helping Jim escape from horrific bondage, Huck believes he is “stealing a poor old woman’s nigger that hadn’t ever done me no harm” (Twain 212). Here, perhaps, the greatest irony of the novel arises. After becoming “the best friend old Jim ever had in the world,” Huck feels morally conflicted between following the world he grew up in or breaking away from it all to follow his feelings (Twain 214) . At this point in the novel, the reader understands the irony of the situation. Although Huck is doing a good thing, the way Huck was brought up brings him to believe he will “go to hell” (Twain 214). This irony helps amplify the message of the novel because the paradox becomes extremely obvious, and the reader grows to hate society and its racism. Twain successfully uses Huck’s self-ignorance in order to condemn slavery by mocking society’s ideals. Alongside with condemning slavery, Twain is also able to chastise the social structure and conditions of the time by portraying its ridiculousness through a naive perspective. …show more content…
Both Huck and Jim lay at the bottom of their respective racial social ladder; consequently, they both face extreme hardships. Huck and Jim both grew up uneducated and abused. Both men go on the journey risking their freedom, and both always fall to the mercy of an older, authoritative white adult. Examining the backgrounds of the two men, it seems they are identical; however, Huck, although only a child, has total control over Jim, even though Jim is older and wiser. The idea of white superiority at the time is also evident when Jim is submissive to Huck and Tom’s overly extravagant escape plan. Jim simply follows the boys because he “allowed we was white folks and knowed better than him; so he was satisfied…” (Twain 248). This idea of the racist social structure is best portrayed by using an uneducated, young narrator like Huck because he subconsciously follows the structure society laid out for him. As noted by Davis, “Huck’s novel does not oppose laws, codes, or standards of behavior but rather the blind or unthinking acceptance of rules” (Critical Companion). Twain purposely chose characters from the lowest social ranks within their race and created similar backgrounds. The selection of a young illiterate child as the novel’s main character in comparison to Jim helps portray the world more realistically. However, Twain starkly displays the racial differences by allowing an obviously less experienced young child to lead the mature adult. This stark difference influences the reader to view the social conditions of the time as ridiculous. By using an ignorant narrator, Twain ridicules the social conditions of the time. Similarly, through the eyes of ignorant narrator, Twain successfully provides insight into the world’s hypocrisy and irony from a naive perspective. Huck does not evaluate or interpret events around him and this, in turn, allows Twain to expose lying, hypocrisy, and brutality through a child’s eyes. For example, when Huck stays with the Grangerfords, he witnesses them carrying guns to church and talking about “brotherly love” (Twain 109). Rather