Download The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn
Themes
Lindsay Gampel, M.Ed.
Teacher, El Capitan H.S
Racism & Slavery
• written after Emancipation Proclamation abolished
slavery, but time period of story set during slavery
• during Reconstruction, a less institutionalized
form of slavery existed in the South (Jim Crow
laws)
• allegorical portrayal of conditions of “blacks” in
U.S. after end of slavery
• hypocrisy of “civilized” society which values
morality, but condones slavery
• Examples:
Hypocrisy of “Civilized” Society
• society’s laws (Miss Watson and Widow Douglas)
vs. higher moral values (Huck and Jim)
• rules and precepts that reflect faulty logic
• civilized vs. natural
• a “just” society that condones slavery
• unsteady justice is blinded by cowardice,
prejudice, and a lack of common sense
• seemingly good and characters are slave-owners
• Examples:
Freedom
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importance of individual thinking and ideas
escaping an illogical and oppressive society
Mississippi River as a safe haven
slavery vs. liberty
outcasts labeled by citizens (mob mentality)
are arguably the only truly free characters
• Examples:
Maturation and Development
• a significant factor in Huck’s moral
education is his youth
• being open-minded is a quality that Huck
represents, as a child, which allows for his
development and maturation
• Huck’s relationship with Jim assists his
progression throughout the novel
• Huck’s experiences and apprehension about
society help lead to his maturity
Symbols
• The Mississippi River
• a source of freedom; a
safe haven
• Raft
• tool for escape
• Money
• separates the civilized
from the “outcasts”
Terms to know:
• Emancipation
Proclamation
• Reconstruction
• Jim Crow Laws
• allegory
• superstition
• precept
• mob mentality
• bildungsroman
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hypocrisy
satire
irony
dialect
parody