Exploring the Context, Archetypes, and Idealism behind the Novel

The Author Samuel Clemens, A.K.A Mark Twain

Born November 30, 1835; raised in Hannibal, Missouri

Left school at 11, after the 5th grade, to be a printer’s assistant

Moved to New York and Philadelphia at 18, wrote several articles for many publications

Eyewitness to American History In 1857 Moved back to Missouri, to pilot a riverboat on

the Mississippi

1861 – Civil War breaks out; all traffic stops along the river

Briefly joins a Confederate Unit, but quits after two weeks

July, 1861, Clemens heads West to try his luck in the Nevada Silver rush

Eyewitness to American History Briefly joins a Confederate Unit, but quits after two

weeks

July, 1861, Clemens heads West to try his luck in the Nevada Silver rush

“Visions and revisions…” –T.S. Eliot

As a failed prospector, Clemens began writing under the name Mark Twain

1864, after moderate success as a writer, Twain continues west to San Francisco

Twain writes for local papers, capturing and retelling the tails of explorers and prospectors

By 1865, Twain gains world-wide renown through these tails

Years of Prosperity From 1871 to 1891, Twain capitalized on his fame,

traveling throughout America and Europe writing travel satires

1870, Marries Olivia Langdon

By 1874, Twain, his wife, and three daughters live in an elaborate home in Hartford, Connecticut

Twain writes some of his most famous works here, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the first book published by his own company, the Charles L. Webster Company

Bankruptcy to Bangkok

Despite his literary success, he lacked economic vision

By 1891, the Clemenses were facing bankruptcy

Moved to Europe

1894 – Charles L Webster company fails

Once settling their debt, they traveled Europe and Asia, observing and commenting on different governments and colonies

1896 – Susy, the eldest daughter, dies of Meningitis

American Hero to America’s Most Wanted From about 1900 on, Twain began forming anti-

imperialist ideals, becoming the VP of the Anti-Imperialist league in 1901

His writings in these later years were very dark, and focused on the greed, cruelty, and questionable humanity of the human race

His views were overwhelmingly anti-government, and he was viewed as a traitor by some

As a result, many of these works went unpublished

Facing Mortality 1900 – Returned to New York

1904 – Olivia dies

1909 – Clara, Twain’s middle daughter and only child to survive him, marries

1909 – Twain’s youngest daughter dies

April 21, 1910 – Samuel Clemens dies at age 74

Understanding the Complexities of Huckleberry Finn From an early age, Samuel Clemens exhibited a

fascination with the different groups of people that inhabited the small town of Hannibal, and the surrounding communities that built their livelihoods on the Mississippi

This extended to his life as a traveler and writer

Regionalism Mark Twain is considered a Realist, and within

that literary movement, he is a Regionalist

He sought to accurately represent the lives of everyday people

His settings included realistic environments

His characters engaged in authentic dialogue

He sought to accurately represent the local color of many different regions or communities in the United States

The Mississippi River provides the perfect opportunity for this

Dialect Dialect is one literary device that Twain used to

help define the regions in his literature Twain is considered the master of dialect Dialect is a way of speaking that is localized

geographically. Characteristics of dialect are: sound (pronunciation): cot/caught; cah/car word formation: crick/creek variations in syntax: on accident/by accident word choices: soda/pop figures of speech (idioms) well, dog my cats!

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses, by his own count, seven different and distinct dialects.

Confusion and Controversy Huck Finn has been plagued by controversy since it

was published

In 1885, The Concord Public Library in Massachusetts immediately banned it as "the veriest trash, suitable only for the slums."

At this time, the controversy centered around the characters’ poor use of grammar, poor choices, and provided a poor role model for adolescents

An embodiment of Racism

From about 1957 on, most of the controversy of Huck Finn centered on race

NAACP charged that Huck Finn contained “racial slurs” and “belittling racial designations

Pervasive use of the word “nigger”

Portrayal of black people was considered stereotypical and demeaning

John Wallace, a school administrator, rewrote the novel in 1982, omitting much of the offensive language

Mark Twain is not Huckleberry Finn

Much of the controversy around Huck Finn lies in the mistaken assumption that the views and ideals of the character are the same as the views and ideals of the author

Huck Finn is a satirical novel

Highly critical of society

According to scholar Shelley Fisher, “Huck Finn is the greatest anti-racist novel by an American writer”

Themes include friendship, loyalty, morality, freedom, race, and their places in America itself

Archetypes

Archetype - an original model of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are merely derivative, copied, patterned, or emulated

The river is one of the most vague and ambivalent archetypal symbols in literature

River Symbolism river symbolism "corresponds to the creative power of

nature and time. On the one hand it signifies fertility and the progressive irrigation of the soil; and on the other hand it stands for the irreversible passage of time and, in consequence, for a sense of loss and oblivion."

River Symbolism The river is used as a symbol of movement in

literature:

Crossing the river can represent many things – death (the river Styx); life (the Jordan); finding new life (the Mississippi in Uncle Tom’s Cabin)

By going up a river the character must push against the natural flow of the river's current and this presents a significant struggle to overcome (Heart of Darkness)

River Symbolism Huckleberry Finn utilizes the Mississippi River as

something to flow down, with the current, and away from civilization

By flowing with nature, Huck is moving away from civilized society, which seems antagonistic to nature, especially with its dehumanizing practices such as slavery.

A Problematic Conclusion None of the social issues are ever resolved

Huck reverts to his initial assessment of humanity and society, albeit with more cynicism

Tom reverts to his old ways

Only the character of Jim achieves resolution