Mark Twain Mark Twain was born in the state of Missouri in the United States in 1835. His father was an unsuccessful lawyer. The family seldom lived more than a year or two in the same town. That is why the future writer did not even finish secondary school. He went to work at the age of 12. For two years he worked for his elder brother’s small newspaper both as a printer and reporter. In 1857 he became a pilot on the Mississippi river. He continued to write. In 1876 he wrote «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer». The book was read by everybody, by the young and old and was translated into nearly every language in the world. «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» was such a success that in 1884 he wrote «The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn», and then «Tom Sawyer Abroad» and «Tom Sawyer the Detective» in 1896. There were many other books written by Mark Twain. But his novels about Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn brought him world fame. Mark Twain’s real name was Sammuel Clemens. He took his penname from the words «to mark» and «twain» which were used by leadsmen on the steamboats to mark the depth of two fathoms. Mark Twain’s stories enjoy widespread popularity. His characters are always well-drawn, his stories are true-to-life and the plots of his stories are skilfullybuilt up. Many years have passed since Mark Twain’s death, but even now we enjoy reading his works. Besides being a humorist, Mark Twain is also a realist — the author of biting satires and bitterly critical pages revealing a good deal of the truth about American way of life. Сompositional analysis The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by American writer Mark Twain, a sequel to the adventures of Tom Sawyer, published in 1876. TWAIN worked on the work for about ten years. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in 1884 in the United Kingdom. In 1885, the Concord (Massachusetts) public library called the novel "trash fit only for slums" and banned it. TWAIN treated this with irony, writing to his publisher that thanks to the library's decision, it would be possible to sell "another 25,000 copies of the book". In the mid-twentieth century, the national Association for the advancement of colored people discovered the novel's racist side and demanded that "the adventures of Huckleberry Finn" be removed from new York high schools. Subsequently, the book has more than once had problems due to allegedly racist statements. Features of the work's language The story is told on behalf of Huckleberry Finn – a poorly educated boy who speaks a southwestern dialect. The novel is written in a colorful folk language, using Negro dialectics, colloquial expressions, slang. Mark TWAIN decided on a bold update of the literary language. Last but not least precisely because of this, his "the adventures of Huckleberry Finn" played a major role in the history of American literature. No wonder Ernest Hemingway wrote about this novel: "all American literature came out of one book — Mark TWAIN's Huckleberry Finn." Mark Twain leads Huckleberry Finn through a series of tests that are given on an increasing basis, that is, as the events of the book unfold, the laws of civilization increasingly intrude into the natural life of Huck and the Negro Jim. The first part is a period of idyll. Huck and Jim are on a raft. Their life in the bosom of nature, far from civilization, can be called ideal. In the second part, Huckleberry has to do everything possible to protect the Negro Jim from a collision with civilization. Any decent American becomes dangerous, but the greatest danger is a pair of crooks-the king and the Duke. This part vividly shows the struggle in Huck's soul, which was mentioned above. The turning point is the episode when Huckleberry and Jim lost each other in the fog. After the danger had passed, the boy decides to play a prank on the unsuspecting Negro. Jim also shows a touching concern for his friend: "And when Jim woke up and saw Huck safe and sound, hot tears flowed from his eyes, and Jim wanted to kiss your feet, so happy and happy was Jim. And all you could think of, Huck, was to make fun of poor old Jim, to make a fool of him, to deceive him!". Huck feels ashamed and finds the strength to ask Jim for forgiveness. In the third part of the book, Huckleberry's moral position is clearly outlined. He is shown as a brave boy who saves the Negro Jim with special resourcefulness. At the same time, Huck does not shy away from using any methods to achieve the goal. In its contradictory character, humanity is combined with practicality. Huckleberry is kind by nature, he pities even the cruel bandits left on the sinking ship. Despite this, good people for Huck are cranks who are happy to use all sorts of scammers. Mark Twain spoke out against racism, which is reflected in the pages of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Notable lines from a letter from TWAIN dated 1901, that is, written many years after the publication of the novel: "One of my theories is that people's hearts are the same all over the world, regardless of the color of their skin." In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, mark TWAIN advocates the rights of both Huck and Negro Jim. In addition, the writer clearly admires their kind hearts. Using various artistic means, combining tragic and comic episodes, TWAIN proves that Negroes are the same people as whites. They are able to love their families just as much, make friends just as faithfully, and never lose hope for the best. Naturally, among blacks, as well as among whites, there are bad people. A striking example is a Negro who deceived other Negroes by allegedly opening a Bank. Another major theme in the novel is the theme of freedom. Jim dreams of freedom and strives for it with all his might. An indomitable love of freedom is also inherent in the character of Huckleberry Finn. Mark TWAIN in the novel defends the right to freedom for all-regardless of social status and skin color. By Eldar.
