The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain concerns a young boy and his adventures on the Mississippi River during the pre-civil war years. Throughout the novel, Twain uses theatrical satire to poke fun at society. Satire is foolish ideas or customs that are ridiculed for the purpose of ameliorating society. The notice and exclamatory in the beginning of the novel, the dialect of the characters, and the methods of deception used by the characters, are all examples of theatrical satire in the novel.
             The initial example of theatrical satire is the exclamatory before the first chapter of the novel. Twain states that he didn't want the readers to think that, "the characters were trying to talk alike and not succeeding." (Explanatory). In the notice, he mocks other authors when he states that people who look for a motive, moral or plot, "will be prosecuted...banished...and will be shot." (Notice). Also, Twain affirms that the dialects used have not been used in a, "haphazard fashion or by guesswork, but painstakingly... with... personal familiarity with these several forms of speech." (Explanatory). In these instances, Twain uses satire to carp and to call attention to an authors feeling of haughtiness.
             Another example of theatrical satire within the novel are the many dialects used. The first example of this is prominent in the explanatory. Twain elucidates that he chose to use the, "Missouri negro dialect...southwestern dialect... ordinary 'Pike County' dialect... and four modified varieties." The dialects are Twain's way of reproving authors who try to embellish reality. However, Twain uses pragmatic dialects throughout the novel himself, in order to capture the quintessence of the setting. An example of mocking southern dialects is shown when Boggs says to Huckleberry, "whar'd you come f'm boy?" (Pg. 127) Another...