Huckleberry Finn Literary Elements
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a novel based on the realism of the Southern United States and society in the times before the Civil War. The author Mark Twain uses many different literary elements to show this in the novel. In the book, Mark Twain uses diction, imagery, and realism along with a number of other literary elements to show the realisms of living in the South in the times before the Civil War.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is known as a very realistic novel, because of how Twain describes the setting and the characters as close to real life as possible. This creates a very realistic feel for the reader, connecting them to the story. Realism in the story is also shown in the description of society at the time, …show more content…
There are many things that are seen as symbols throughout the novel. The first symbol is the Mississippi River. It is the means of transportation for Huck and Jim through the entire plot, but there is also a deeper meaning. It is seen as freedom, freedom from slavery, child abuse, etc. The river is leading them away from these things as Twain writes, “So in two seconds away we went a-sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river, and nobody to bother us.” (Twain 29) Another main symbol, is the raft they rode on. The raft ends up being a kind of no-man's land that seems to operate under different laws than solid ground. In a way, it provides a space for Huck and Jim to get to know each other man-to-man rather than master-to-slave. As Huck says, "we… let her [the raft] float wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things—we was always naked, day and night, whenever the mosquitoes would let us" (Twain 19.4)
In conclusion, Mark Twain uses a variety of literary elements in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to show realism and society during this revolutionary time period. These elements change the tone and the mood, and gives the reader a better idea of the realities of living in the South, amidst slavery and
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is known as a very realistic novel, because of how Twain describes the setting and the characters as close to real life as possible. This creates a very realistic feel for the reader, connecting them to the story. Realism in the story is also shown in the description of society at the time, …show more content…
There are many things that are seen as symbols throughout the novel. The first symbol is the Mississippi River. It is the means of transportation for Huck and Jim through the entire plot, but there is also a deeper meaning. It is seen as freedom, freedom from slavery, child abuse, etc. The river is leading them away from these things as Twain writes, “So in two seconds away we went a-sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river, and nobody to bother us.” (Twain 29) Another main symbol, is the raft they rode on. The raft ends up being a kind of no-man's land that seems to operate under different laws than solid ground. In a way, it provides a space for Huck and Jim to get to know each other man-to-man rather than master-to-slave. As Huck says, "we… let her [the raft] float wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things—we was always naked, day and night, whenever the mosquitoes would let us" (Twain 19.4)
In conclusion, Mark Twain uses a variety of literary elements in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to show realism and society during this revolutionary time period. These elements change the tone and the mood, and gives the reader a better idea of the realities of living in the South, amidst slavery and