![]() ![]() ![]() This moment is significant for two reasons. The lie is soon spotted and after witnessing the pain he has caused, Huck makes a heartfelt apology. Rather than celebrate, he teases that Jim has dreamt the whole situation up and that they had actually been together the entire time. Having been separated on the water on a foggy day, Huck eventually finds his way back to Jim after a few hours. Near the end of Chapter 15 is one of the most emotive literary passages I’ve read. … no more about reforming” (a verb with religious connotations) can he focus on saving his close friend, Jim, from being sold back into bondage. In this way, Twain showcases the friction between Christian ideals and the institution of slavery. By law, he ‘belongs’ to Miss Watson, a fervent Christian who adopts Huck. Most significantly, Huck worries about his own moral failing in aiding Jim’s quest for emancipation. “Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and a body ain’t got no business doing wrong when he ain’t ignorant and knows better”. Huck, who is continually at odds with the morally bankrupt characters he encounters, represents a counter-hegemonic force vying with the dominant ideological system.Īlthough Huck eventually triumphs in the closing chapters, it is not an easy ride. The dominant ideology in America’s South at the time was pseudo-Christian and built on the notion of white racial supremacy. The tension brings to mind Antonio Gramsci’s writings on ideology. In the end – and to the reader’s delight – he fails. Throughout the journey, Huck attempts to assimilate his innocent, child-like worldview with society’s warped ethical system. To a certain degree, then, the novel is a comedy of manners set in antebellum America.įor me, Huck Finn is fundamentally a tale of conscience and morality explored through the lens of the youthful protagonist. Along the way, they encounter a diverse range of characters, many of which are heavily satirised by Twain. The pair originally plan to travel to Cairo, Illinois (a free state), but end up as far south as Arkansas. Mark Twain’s magnum opus follows Huckleberry Finn, a carefree teenager, and Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River in search of their own respective notions of ‘freedom’. ![]()
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