Visions of American Society in Literature
             American society is highly visible in numerous works in history, including everything from short stories to poems, to songs and movies. As we make our way through forms of art throughout history, we see several interpretations of what American society was like at the time of the completion of that piece of work. Values and ideals from American society in the past and today, including individualism, freedom, peer group conformity, courage and friendship. Each of these themes can be seen in numerous works throughout history, but there are numerous major aspects of American life that are represented in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*.
             Published in 1885, Twain’s story of a young ‘backwoods’ boy making his way through adolescence is a vision that many young boys and girls of today don’t necessarily understand, but grow to see resemblances. When looking back into the ‘heart of adolescence,’ I see parts of my life represented in the story of Huck Finn. As Aunt Polly and the widow tried to get Huck to become civilized, he was not very cooperative. I see this attitude in those going through adolescence today as they try to become their own person and not conform to what other people say or do. Huck is used to represent what conformity tries to eliminate, freedom of expression. In life today, expression is encouraged, but only within certain societal limitations. While people today do certain things in order to be different, the time of Huckleberry Finn was the time of conformity. People today do outrageous things to prove their independence, such as color their hair brig!
             ht colors, or dress in clothes that are not typically considered to be in fashion. In the late 1800s, America was trying to become one nation of the same thoughts and attitudes. Literacy was on the rise and those in good societal standing sought education fo...