Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay - 966 Words

The Pre-Civil War novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is about a young boy named Huck. His mother is dead and his father is an alcoholic. Huck is now being raised by the Widow Douglass, a woman who is attempting to raise Huck to be a successful, educated member of society, despite his many protests. Because of the violence and forced conformity, Huck runs away and unites with a runaway slave named Jim. Instead of turning Jim in, Huck decides to help him break free from slavery. By doing this, he is going against the societal norm and refusing to follow certain rules just because that’s what everyone else is doing. As they run away together, Huck begins to notice and understand the common stereotypes within society. He†¦show more content†¦Huck is later introduced to the Grangerford family after a ferryboat incident that separated him from Jim. Huck quickly learns of the family feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. The feud has been goin g on for so long that no one evens knows what started it anymore. The two families constantly argue and try to kill each each other with the exception of their Sunday church breaks. Even at church, though, the two families sit in opposing pews, glaring at each other with their guns at the ready. â€Å"It was pretty ornery preaching - all about brotherly love†¦ everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works† (Twain 109). Twain uses this family feud (one that resembles the story of Romeo and Juliet) to satirize religion. The two families consider themselves Christian and attend church, but are willing to shoot each other down in the middle of a sermon about brotherly love, even though one of the Ten Commandments states â€Å"Thou shalt not kill†. Instead of loving and accepting each other, the two families sit in their designated pews glaring at each other, their hatred radi ating throughout the entire church. That following Monday, the day after the brotherly love sermon, the family broke out into a deadly gunfight, where members from both families were killed. This is a key example of religious satire because the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons do things, likeShow MoreRelatedMark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay1103 Words   |  5 Pages Published in 1885, Mark Twain’s American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, captured the both the hearts and hatred of its audience. While some view it as a masterpiece that successfully blended the American condition in a captivating and interesting manner, others observe it to be nothing more than racist trash. The latter is a shallow misunderstanding of the novel’s purpose and potential enlightening impact on its readers. 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