Hypocrisy In Huckleberry Finn Essay
Society And The River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops criticism of society by contrasting Huck and Jim's life on the river to their dealings with people on land. Twain uses the adventures of Huck and Jim to expose the hypocrisy, racism, and injustices of society.
Throughout the book hypocrisy of society is brought out by Huck's dealings with people. Miss Watson, the first character, is displayed as a hypocrite by Huck "Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. And she took snuff too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself" (Twain 8). Huck did not understand why she does not want him to smoke, "That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don't know nothing about it" (Twain 8).
When Huck encounters the Grangerfords and Shepardsons he describes Colonel Grangerford as, " a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family"(Twain 86). On Sunday when Huck goes to church he sees the hypocriticalism of the families, "The men took their guns along, The Shepardsons done the same. I t was pretty ornery preaching-all about brotherly love, and such-like " (Twain 90). …show more content…
The problems of society become apparent to Huck when he goes ashore, while watching the gun fight between the Grangerfords and Shepardsons he becomes ill with the violence between these two families, "I wished I hadn't ever come ashore that night, to see such things" (Twain 94). The river never deals with the insignificant matters of society, and allows Huck the freedom to be himself. The river is freedom, the land is oppression, and that oppression is most evident to Jim. In Huck's dealings with society he sees people for who they truly are, "He sees the real world; and he does not judge it-he allows it to judge itself" (Eliot
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops criticism of society by contrasting Huck and Jim's life on the river to their dealings with people on land. Twain uses the adventures of Huck and Jim to expose the hypocrisy, racism, and injustices of society.
Throughout the book hypocrisy of society is brought out by Huck's dealings with people. Miss Watson, the first character, is displayed as a hypocrite by Huck "Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. And she took snuff too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself" (Twain 8). Huck did not understand why she does not want him to smoke, "That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don't know nothing about it" (Twain 8).
When Huck encounters the Grangerfords and Shepardsons he describes Colonel Grangerford as, " a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family"(Twain 86). On Sunday when Huck goes to church he sees the hypocriticalism of the families, "The men took their guns along, The Shepardsons done the same. I t was pretty ornery preaching-all about brotherly love, and such-like " (Twain 90). …show more content…
The problems of society become apparent to Huck when he goes ashore, while watching the gun fight between the Grangerfords and Shepardsons he becomes ill with the violence between these two families, "I wished I hadn't ever come ashore that night, to see such things" (Twain 94). The river never deals with the insignificant matters of society, and allows Huck the freedom to be himself. The river is freedom, the land is oppression, and that oppression is most evident to Jim. In Huck's dealings with society he sees people for who they truly are, "He sees the real world; and he does not judge it-he allows it to judge itself" (Eliot