The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Analysis
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn AnalysisIn the story ” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, the author’s technique of writing proves him to be a true master of regional writing. Twain explores the different areas of regionalism using a great amount of detail in the novel. Some of the main aspects of regionalism that he writes about include the environment, the society, and the different superstitions that were believed to be true at the time.
A way Mark Twain demonstrates regionalism is through his geographic descriptions, in which a person can actually visualize exactly what he is saying. Throughout the majority of the story, Huck and Jim spend an abundant amount of time on the Mississippi River. Each time they are on the river, Twain focuses on vividly describing it. For example, in chapter nine, Huck talks about how it rained for days and the river rose until it was over the banks. He then proceeded to talk about how they paddled all over the island. He describes things they saw while paddling over the island. “We went winding in and out amongst the trees, and sometimes the vines hung so thick we had to back away and go some other way. Well, on every old broken-down tree you could see rabbits and snakes and such things; and when the island had been overflowed a day or two they got so tame, on account of being hungry, that you could paddle right up and put your hand on them if you wanted to.” The description that Huck gives makes it easy to mentally picture a canoe rowing through a thick forest, surrounded by animals, trees, and vines. I can easily tell that island was very flooded, so flooded that the animals could not get food.
In the novel, Mark Twain writes about many different superstitions that were believed by black and white people. Jim is a black character in the story that bases his life around superstitions. Jim discussed numerous amounts of superstitions with Huck throughout the story. Among them was the snake skin superstition in chapter ten. At the beginning of the chapter Huck questions Jim’s snake skin theory. Huck had found some snake skin and Jim was worried about the two of them having “ the worst bad luck in the world”, because according to Jim a person should never touch snake skin. Huck argued with him about this, but sure enough, the bad luck caught up to them. Jim ended up getting bit by a snake. The bad luck from the snakeskin did not end there. It is mentioned throughout the entire novel. Another superstition mentioned by Jim earlier in the story is his magic hairball. “ Jim, had a hairball as big as your fist, which had been took out of the fourth stomach of an ox, and he used to do magic with it. He said there was a spirit inside of it, and it knowed everything.” Huck goes to Jim hoping to learn the future by having Jim ask the magic hairball.
During the pre-civil war period, white people in society were just as superstitious as any black person. In chapter three, for example, Huck and Tom discuss the issue of genies. Tom claimed he read about genies in a book called “Don Quixote”. Tom explains to Huck that “a magician could call up a lot of genies, and they would hash you up like nothing before you could say Jack Robinson. They are as tall as a tree and as big around as a church.” Huck questions Tom’s theory and rubs a lamp, only to find that nothing happens. Another superstition mentioned in the story is the white man’s belief on how to find a dead body in the river. When Huck fakes his death, he watches a ferryboat full of people search for his body. They did this by shooting canons over the river. “You see, they was firing cannon over the water, trying to make my carcass come to the top”. They also believed that quicksilver in loaves of bread would lead them to the dead body once it floated to the surface.
Different members of society were often a focal point in any regional author’s writing, and Mark Twain certainly demonstrated superior writing skills when illustrating the different types of people in this story. Children during this time were expected to go to school daily, attend church, and study. The children did what the adults asked of them, but the way they went about it was far from what the adults expected. For example, Tom did what was expected of him by reading books; however, he used the information from the books to start bands or robbers. The bands of robbers were expected to “mostly rob and murder.” Besides being studious, the children were also expected to learn about religion. For instance, Mrs. Watson tried to explain to Huck that he should pray for things he wanted. He sat in the woods and contemplated whether or not she was right. “ If a body can get anything they pray for, why don’t Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can’t the widow get back her silver snuffbox that was stole? Why can’t Miss Watson fat up?” It had been bothering him for so long that he finally went to the widow and asked her about it. Her response to him was that when a person prayed they received spiritual gifts. She explained to him that he would have to help people and do everything he could for them without thinking about himself. He thought about it and realized that there were no advantages in it for him, so there was no point in praying. “I went out in the woods and turned it over in my mind a long time, but I couldn’t see no advantage about it, except for the other people.” I believe that in the story, the children did do what the adults expected, but only if it was to their advantage. Tom read so he could learn things about robbers. Huck only prayed when he thought that he would get anything he wanted. When he found out that he had to do things for others, he decided it wasn’t worth it.
Mark Twain’s regional writing gives the reader a clear idea of what life would have been like during the pre-civil war period. He gives readers an insight into what the river looked like, the superstitions of the time, and how the children during that period were expected to behave, and how they responded to it. He is truly one of the best regional writers.