Huckleberry Finn

             Comparing civilization today to that of two hundred years ago, many differences are apparent. However, basic instinct never changes. People of this generation have been bred into a natural civilization, and do not often find conflicts between instinct and civilization for this reason. In the nineteenth century, instinct and civilization had almost nothing in common. There are the people who were raised "properly," spending their time in Sunday school and receiving a proper education. And, on the other hand, there are those who live in the land and off of the land, unaware and uncaring of this "civilization" lurking about. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses the character Huck Finn to portray a contrast between basic human instinct and the falsity of civilization during that time. Huck's lack of civilized upbringing makes him the perfect candidate for the part.
             For most of Huck's life, he raises himself. Having no authority or rules to follow, he lives his life out of basic human instinct. That is all he knows, until the Widow Douglas adopts him. The widow tries time and again to civilize him, sometimes succeeding, but Huck remains wild at heart. "The Widow Douglas she took me for a son, and allowed she would sivilize (sic) me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugarhogshead again, and was free and satisfied" (Twain 1). Mark Twain immediately paints a picture for the reader of Huck's distain for the constrictions of civilization as well as the strong ties he has to primary lifestyle. This disdain is subconscious to Huck. He is curious about civilization and attempts to adapt to it, but he finds it to be silly and abnormal. "After suppe
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Huckleberry Finn. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 02:15, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/82782.html