Huck Finn: an American Masterpiece Essay

For more than two centuries, Ameri weed authors meet consistently produced outstanding full treatment that thrust achieved national acclaim and international recognition. Many of these works have achieved have come to be celebrated as masterpieces in the Statesn literature and influential in the shaping of our nation. Since its publication in 1884, fit boths The Adventures of huckleberry Finn has risen to such a status and has been added to the program of most schools. Un wish any other falsehood of its time, Mark bitstock wrote an organic, possible story drawn from his own personal struggles with being sivilized into the comme il faut manners of smart institute.He employed several literary techniques and methods to insure that his newfangled would be considered a unmixed. Three significant aspects of Mark dyads The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn include the implement of the plebeian, the use of satire, and the characterization of untaught life in the South. One si gnificant aspect of Huck Finn is the use of the vernacular. One cant open the novel without noticing distinctly Southern terms like bullyragged and corn-dodgers. This use of the everyday language of the common folk adds a colossal deal of authenticity and believability to Hucks adventures.Each reference has his or her own bit of a Southern twang. For example, the Dauphin has a traditional, round-eyed accent when he announces to the Wilks family, Friends all told, my poor brother that lays yonder has done overgenerous by them thats left behind in the vale of sorrers (214). Nonetheless, the vernacular is most prominent when Jim speaks. For example, when he explains to Huck why Solomon wasnt sassy, he says, I doan kyer what de widder say, he warnt no wise man nuther. He had some er der dad-fetchedes I ever curb (100).In fact, dyads novel was far ahead of its times. Something untried happened with Huck Finn that had never happened before in American literature. Its a record b ook that deviated from the well-mannered English tradition of the times. yokes novel allows a different kind of writing to happen? a natural, realistic kind of writing that jumps off the page with energy and enthusiasm. Indeed, Huck Finn isnt a book that can be read. Its a book that talks. Another well-known aspect of Huck Finn is the use of satire.Twain uses this to research and poke fun at many aspects of society, and uses Hucks actions and thoughts to rat things like education and the Wisdom of Solomon observem impractical. Religion is frequently satirized in the novel. When Widow Douglas tells Huck slightly Moses, Huck thinks to himself why she wont let him smoke, Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody being gone, you see, notwithstanding finding a power of fault with me for doing a thing that had some technical in it (Twain 3). He doesnt see the point in worrying about people who died three-thousand years ago.Twain satirizes religion again when he describes the Shepherdsons and Grangerfords listening to a sermon about brotherly love at church with guns in between their knees. He also satirizes the Victorian culture of the time period. When Huck arrives at the Grangerford mansion, he is in awe at the intricate and ornate artwork in the parlor. He comments, ? there was beautiful curtains on the windows white with pictures painted on them of castles with vines all down the walls, and cattle coming down to drink (Twain 134). Twain uses Huck to show his own views of the period.Scenes like the one describing the clock on the mantelpiece clearly get the message crossways that the Grangerfords furniture and decorations argon both tacky and absurd. Indeed, Twain has much to say about society and uses his characters to get his point across. The last noteworthy aspect of Huck Finn is its depiction of artless Southern life. Twain mentions several instances where Huck and Jim are lax from the social constraints a nd problems of sivilized society, describing vivid scenes that call to mind watching the sunset across a pond as the crickets chirp among the cattails.Huck and Jim are truly free to do as they wish on the lazy Mississippi. Here, Huck treats Jim as an equal without a care as to what others may think. before the two run into the Duke and the Dauphin, Twain describes the wind along the water, Then the squeamish breeze springs up, and comes fanning you from over there, so cool and fresh and sweet to heart on account of the woods and the flowers (Twain 151). This tranquil moment demonstrates that the South isnt all about slavery and racism. Its about enjoying life without all the worries and duties.Thanks to Twain, the American ideal of freedom is Huck and Jim rafting down the Mississippi. Twain also depicts the pastoral ideal when he describes the Phelps farm as Sunday-like and calorifacient and sunshiny (Twain 278). He goes on to depict a picturesque farmhouse and lazy gardens. Th e pastoral ideal has been used to define the meaning of America since its discovery, and it has not yet lost its hold upon the imagination. Quaint scenes like these resonate in Americas heart, hitting strings that evoke a desperate long for a laidback, carefree lifestyle.This truly is the closest thing there is to perfection, and Twain himself felt an affinity with this pastoral Southern life. Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will forever be revered as a classic in American literature thanks to his artful style and bright technique. Three significant aspects include the use of the vernacular, the use of satire, and the depiction of pastoral life in the South. These characteristics have made this masterpiece what it is today and have captured the hearts of countless Americans and foreigners alike.Most importantly, Twains work set a precedent for future novelists for years to come through its humourous language and unique personality. As author Ernest Hemingway commen ted, All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since (348). Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. All modern American. . . The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations. Ed. Joseph R. Strayer. 1 vol. invigorated York Columbia University Press, 1995. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York Pocket, 1994.