Down The River With Huck And Jim

Down The River With Huck And Jim

Throughout the Mark Twain novel, The Adventures of HuckleBerry Finn, a plain and striking point of view is expressed by the author. His point of view is that of a cynic; he looks upon civilized man as a merciless, cowardly, hypocritical savage, without want of change, nor ability to effect such change. Thus, one of Mark Twain's main purposes in producing this work seems clear, he wishes to bring to attention some of man's often concealed shortcomings.

While the examples of Mark Twain's cynic commentaries on human nature can be found in great frequency all through the novel, several examples seem to lend themselves well to a discussion of this sarcastic view. In the beginning of the novel, it would seem that both Huck Finn and Jim are trapped in some way and wishing to escape. For Huck, it is the violence and tyranny of his drunken father. Kept in a prison, Huck wishes desperately to escape. Jim feels the need to escape after hearing that h...