Huckleberry Finn--Slavery

             Slavery in our society is usually thought of as physical. In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are many varied examples of slavery. Because Mark Twain's novel is set in the American 1840s, it reflects the points of view of individuals and society in this time, which differs greatly from now, the American 1990s. Three types of slavery that catch the reader's eye in Huckleberry Finn are psychological, biological, and moral. These forms can be either very subtle or very prominent throughout the novel, depending on one's point of view.
             Psychological slavery has to do with the mind. It can be interpreted in two different ways, as a kind of bondage induced by one's own mind, or as control shown over someone's mind by another person. This form of slavery digs deep into a person's psyche and changes them, for the better or the worse. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck is psychologically held by his drunken, abusive father, Pap. Pap is illiterate and oppressive and threatens to Huck that he will "take some of these frills out o' you before I'm done with you" (20) because he suspects Huck of putting on airs and thinking he is better than his father. Pap treats Huck very badly, but since he is Huck's father, Huck figures there is nothing he can do. This is evident when Pap first comes back and demands money from Huck so he can get whiskey, "Say how much you got in your pocket? I want it." "I hain't got only a dollar, and I want that to--" "It don't make no difference what you want it for-- you just shell it out"(21). This father-son relationship is detrimental to both of them. Pap's abusive nature controls Huck through fear, and it is the driving force for Huck as he fakes his death and flees down the river.
             The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson also try to put Huck under a kind of psychological slavery. They do this under the guise of trying to "sivilize" him. Huck believes that they are enslaving him by trying ...

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Huckleberry Finn--Slavery. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:02, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/29653.html