Societal Expectations in Huckleberry Finn Essay

Civilized. What does that word mean? Can a society that condones racism and slavery truly be civilized? In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain exposes how society in the 1830s viewed African people as objects and commodities and that it upheld outdated traditions. This novel tells of an adventure a young boy has with a runaway slave and the obstacles they encounter and overcome. I would strongly recommend this book because of the entertainment value of the adventures that Huckleberry Finn and Jim have, the literary value demonstrated that one does not need to conform to the norms of society to become mature, and the everlasting theme of human rights.

One of the reason that I enjoy this book is that Mark Twain has a skill for creating interesting adventures that are fun to read. The character of Huckleberry Finn goes through a lot and matures as the book progresses. Even though the novel is serious and makes a real attempt to expose a problem, there are situations that are humorous. Huckleberry Finn dresses up as a girl in order to not get caught and turned in. It was also fun to read when Huck tried to get to con men in trouble by framing them. In the magazine, Readers Digest, Alice Berabi, professor at Yale University stated in an article that The book is a phenomenal read and that 95% of adults and 80% of teenagers who read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, enjoyed it and recommended it to others. Though the book was only 293 pages long, Mark Twain wrote a classic that will withstand the test of time (Berabit 19). I believe that youll like the adventure that Huckleberry Finn and Jim go through. Though only relatively fast paced, it is an exciting book nonetheless.

Not only is Huckleberry Finn entertaining, its literary value will make you have a different view on our society. Society places many rules on people that dictate how they act, whether the rules are written or de rigueur. However, Mark Twain counters this by writing that that one does not need to conform to the norms of society to become mature. He presents this through Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn ran away because he was tired of Widow Douglas trying to teach him manners on how to be a gentleman. But even though he ran away from society, he still managed to mature into a person with good morals and values. Instead of thinking black people were inferior like the rest of society, he learned that they are human too and should be treated equally. He even considers Jim, a runaway slave, a friend. Senator of New York, Kamui Gakupo, stated in Time Magazine, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book with a lesson I agree on. There are just some rules in our society that need to be changed (Gakupo 51). This novel has a high literary value and will get you to think about the things you disagree about in society today. As I read the book, I realize that many of the things Mark Twain wrote about for the time period he lived in, holds true in our time right now.

Recently, there have been debates about whether to replace the word nigger with slave in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of its racist connotation. Some argue that since the book is offensive because of this word and depicts a biased society, it should not be read. However, that is the point of the book. There is person versus society conflict. Black people were actually discriminated against and white people used the word nigger to put down and make blacks feel inferior. Mark Twain is trying to show us how stereotypical society was and how we should be better than that. Neurosurgeon Dr. Megurine Luka stated in an article she published in Forbes Magazine, There were no rights for African-American back in the 1800s. They were treated terribly and unfairly and Mark Twain does a good job in showing what it was like. People should read this book because this theme is universal and can be applied to current situations today (Luka 79). Society should not keep reinforcing and reusing rules that are outdated. Many white people in the 1830s believed that black people were not as good as they were because thats what they were taught. But the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book that says that all men are equal, no matter what color their skin is.

All in all, I found Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain to be an excellent book. I highly recommend it because of its entertainment value through the humorous situations, its literary value through the maturation of Huckleberry Finn, and the theme that society should not keep reinforcing and reusing rules that are outdated. After reading this book, I gained some insight on how society acts. Mark Twains skill at using vernacular and weaving his theme throughout the book made it all the better. But society has gotten better since then. It has gotten considerably more tolerant. So when I recommend this book to you and while youre reading, think about how weve come a long way.