Themes of Huckleberry Finn
In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he uses several different themes. His themes help to portray the meaning and message of the novel. Twain talks about the struggle between slavery and freedom; he attacks religion, and discusses how cruel people can be to one another. The central theme is the constant struggle between freedom and slavery. This struggle exists for both Jim and Huck. Jim fears the physical slavery of the South, while Huck fears the captivity and behavior he dislikes so much about Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas. He
The attack on religion can already be seen in the first chapter, when Huck indicates that hell sounds like a lot more fun than heaven. Even though Huck is Pap's son and they are supposed to love each other, Pap acts mean and hurts Huck both mentally and physically. Another major theme in the novel is man's inhumanity to man. Another theme, and probably one of Twain's favorites, is the mockery of religion. "I'll take you down a peg before I get done with you" (17). The main theme in the novel is the struggle between freedom and slavery. This will continue throughout the novel, with one prominent scene occurring when the King convinces a religious community to give him money so he can "convert" his pirate friends. Even at the beginning of the novel a third theme can be seen, inhumanity, which is clearly shown by Pap's actions toward Huck. "She told me all about the bad place, and I said wished I was there" (2). As one can see, Huck Finn is not simply a carefree children's novel. Twain tended to attack organized religion at every opportunity, and the sarcastic character of Huck Finn is perfectly situated to allow him to do so. The raft enables them to find their escape from the madness of their society. also wants to escape the mistreatment of his father. Both Jim and Huck turn to nature itself to escape the bondage of civilization.
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