How Mark Twain\'s Use of Social Commentary and Satire Was Received by African Americans

¶ … Mark Twain's use of Social Commentary and Satire was received by African-Americans

How African-Americans received mark twain's use of social commentary and satire

Mark Twain (real name Samuel L. Clemens) is famous for his masterpiece Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which was the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In this essay, I examine the reception of African-Americans to satire and social commentary within the work. This is, therefore, a question of race and racial issues with regard to the novel. It is noteworthy that Mark Twain wrote the novel some ten years after Civil War in America. Therefore, as much as it is a discussion of the themes in the novel, a good understanding of the author and the context goes along way enable clear arguments.

Mark Twain was in a slave state that was Missouri along the Mississippi river, and his father was a judge. He was, therefore, familiar with slavery and found application in his works. He is a self-educated person, reading by himself in his adult years, plying his trade as a typesetter and journalist. Twain was also a pilot at one time or another and this had influence on the plot of his novels. This goes to demonstrate that Twain's inspiration came from his experiences as much as from his imagination. His personality and the issues of the day provide much of the points in the arguments for and against the novel.

During that era, there were plays in which the White imitated African-Americans on stage by acting out their mannerism, and Mark Twain liked the plays (Lott 137). Therefore, it throws doubt on the sincerity of the author on portraying Jim as a character of black origin. Was his motive pure? So many people have struggled with this question, and I can only imagine that individual African-Americans reacted differently to the novel depending on context, disposition, and the time in history. However, a thorough study of the works proves ambiguous on the portrayal of Jim.

Mark Twain is harsh in the novel. There is only one character who receives his sympathies throughout the book, Jim. However, this does not imply that events are that much favorable to Jim. The book ends leaving the reader to wonder on the plight of Jim. In fact, the book seems to end early when Jim the slave hunters capture Jim. The portrayal of Jim as someone who would forgo his freedom to take care of a boy on one hand paints Jim as the noble person, but critics differ on this. It was common for slaves to be loyal to their masters who thought of themselves superior and the author might be pursuing such a line of thinking.

The foregoing discussion just serves to demonstrate the various approaches that individuals would take in arguing for or against the Novel. Mark Twain penned the novel at a time when the thirteenth amendment and the fifteenth amendment guaranteed freedom and citizenship. However, there is a distinction between freedom (as a right) and equality. The slaves were free, but a series of laws were heightening racial tensions by legalizing segregation on the basis of race thereby deepening inequality. The African-Americans were receiving inferior social services to the point that, if given a chance, some would walk back to slavery.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have Jim, Huck, and Pap as the characters that influence the main themes. Pap does this through the introductory part, his ranting about the government, and his shadow over Huck till his death. Jim is an African-American and Huck is an independent soul (Barksdale 123). However, the other characters also contribute much to the theme in their supporting roles. They bring out the crass nature of the society of that time where people could reconcile slavery and humanity.

Controversy follows this novel right from day one. This is because it touches on the racial issues of freedom, intolerance, and the actual events on the ground during an era most people would wish to forget. Therefore, whenever the book pushes us into social dialogue, passions will rise, and deep feelings on the issues of race, discrimination, and equality would come to the fore. Furthermore, the book portrays the southerners in certain light that may not auger well with anyone who identifies with the south (Leonard 142). The specific use of dialects would leave one with no doubt as to the author's intention of placing the events in a given time (Wallace 17).

The novel is famous, and many famous individuals have given credit to it on the style and treatment of racial issues. However, does the novel address the issue properly? Some works may be better at addressing the issue of slavery better. For instance, abolitionists like Frederick Douglass have autobiographies that give detailed accounts from a historical perspective and experience (Wallace 17). Why not use these works to heighten the social dialogue on the issue of racism and social discrimination? I would think such an approach is simplistic in its view of literature. It is satire as a style that sets the novel apart and brings controversy. Society requires a push in order to talk about certain issues and the fact that so much discomfort result from the book speaks volumes.