Failure of Humanity
Running head: Failure of Humanity
The Theme of the Failure of Humanity in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Reflected in the
Contemporary Age
Manisha Khanal
Middletown High School
December 16, 2009
1
Failure of Humanity
2
The Theme of the Failure of Humanity in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Reflected in the
Contemporary Age
Mark Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, demonstrates many themes
that relate to the time period of the story, and of the contemporary age. The failure of humanity
is among one of the most recurring themes in today’s society. Greed, cowardice, and selfishness
are among many of the topics discussed within “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and cover
most of what society as a whole has evolved into. Twain understood people’s actions are how
corrupt they’d become, thanks to society. As the era progressed and new things were discovered,
humanity became even more fraudulent and many of America’s “failures” were seen more and
more thoroughly. The contemporary age from the 1960’s to the present had Americans, and
others, committing many shameful sins that led to greed, selfishness, and cowardice, much like
those sins and failures created in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.
In the novel, greed and selfishness are highlighted dramatically through two characters –
the Duke and the King. There are many events in which they pursue a goal to steal, rob, or strip
people of their money. For instance, they hold a Royal Nonesuch act in order to get money from
all of the audience, even though they are faking the whole comedy show. Huck even mentions,
“These rapscallions wanted to try the Nonesuch again, because there was so much money in
it…” (Twain, 1940, p. 435). This automatically shows that the Duke and the King are along for
the ride only for the money. Later in the novel, the Duke and the King pretend to be the brother
of a man who had passed away and had written a will that proclaimed exactly who would receive
his money. This kind of act is “enough to make a body ashamed of the human race” (Twain,
1940, p. 440). Pretending to be a dead man in order to get money is an example of how selfish
some of the characters in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” were and how they would do
anything just to get their hands on some money.
Failure of Humanity
3
Cowardice is also reflected in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” through the characters
Colonel Sherburn and Boggs. Boggs was drunk as he walked through town, and even though he
carried himself in a tough way, he had “never hurt nobody, drunk nor sober” (Twain, 1940, p.
417). Colonel Sherburn was getting fed up with Boggs’ attitude and the insults that were thrown
towards him, nonstop. Boggs “went on, calling Sherburn everything he could lay his tongue to,
and the whole street packed with people listening and laughing” (Twain, 1940, p. 417). Later,
Sherburn had had enough and decided to shoot Boggs to death. The cowardice of this is shown
by the impatience of Sherburn and the foolishness of the crowd. The crowd showed no respect
towards Sherburn, and just kept laughing at the names he was called. The cowardly mob did not
decide to stick up for Sherburn, and in the end, Boggs was shot.
The contemporary age also highlights the theme “failure of humanity” very well through
greed. In the modern age, greedy people lurk through malls, electronic stores, and most
importantly, banks. Robberies occur exceedingly often, and not only in America. In Africa, three
armed robbers rushed into a bank and “stole four cell phones after their attempt to get cash
failed” (Armed Robbers Hit Bank, Steal Cell Phones, 2009, para. 1). These robbers had no
reason to steal these cell phones however, they were full of greed and malice, and “ordered one
of the workers who had the keys to open the safe, at gunpoint” (Armed Robbers Hit Bank, Steal
Cell Phones, 2009, para. 1). The other key was not available in order to open the safe, so the
robbers decided to steal four of the workers cell phones instead, which were “valued at $250”
(Armed Robbers Hit Bank, Steal Cell Phones, 2009, para. 1). Then, the robbers took off in a
worker’s car, which was later discovered. The greediness represented in people of the modern
age is extremely horrendous, and the setting of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” wasn’t the
only time period that this type of hunger was made known.
Failure of Humanity
4
An example of selfishness in the contemporary age is the scandal of Tiger Woods. Tiger
Woods has a wife, two kids, a career in golfing that had made him known as one of the greatest
golfers of all time, and has won Player of the Year many times in a row. A person would think,
this man has everything and doesn’t need anything more however, Woods doesn’t seem to think
so himself. Woods has been caught having many affairs with all different kinds of women,
committing the sin of infidelity. “Jaimee Grubb [proclaims] that she began having an affair with
Woods in April 2007 and has since had 20 sexual encounters with the golfer” (Friedman, 2009,
para. 2). Having a perfect family with a perfect career just wasn’t enough. This is where
selfishness comes in. Everything could be going great for a person, but that “everything” just
isn’t enough. The contemporary age is full of people who have everything they need and still say
it’s not sufficient. Present-day people are full of selfishness, and never know when to stop
egotism until it’s too late. Woods announced, "I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness.
It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try” (UPI
NewsTrack Sports, 2009, para. 4). The amount of selfishness that people portray through their
lives everyday is astonishing, and this type of indulgence hasn’t gotten better since the time
period of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, as shown through the Tiger Woods scandal.
One aspect of “failure of humanity” that is exposed not only through “Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn”, but also in the modern-age, is cowardice. In 2006, a young girl named
Megan hanged herself after being cyber-bullied by “her online boyfriend with the name Josh
Evans” (Megan's law; Cyber-bullying and the courts, 2009, para. 1). Her boyfriend was actually
the mother of one of Megan’s classmates. Lori Drew was her real name, and right before Megan
committed suicide, she had sent her a message stating, “You are a bad person and everybody
hates you. The world would be a better place without you” (Megan's law; Cyber-bullying and the
Failure of Humanity
5
courts, 2009, para. 1). This mother exemplified cowardice in a perfect way because she had no
business talking to Megan however, she felt the need to bully her. Bullying is such a serious
crime, and it happens remarkably often. Based on a survey with one thousand four hundred fiftyfour 12 to 17-year-old students, “72% of respondents reported at least 1 online incident of
bullying” (Juvonen, 2008, para. 3). This cowardly attempt to make one person feel superior to
another can result in suicides, cuttings, and other types of self-inflicted injuries. Our youth has
become so accustomed to it because put-downs and name-calling has been transpiring from such
a young age. There are many weak and cowardly ways to make certain people feel better about
themselves, and our modern world is so familiarized and habituated with it, just like the youth in
“Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.
The theme of the “failure of humanity” is epitomized through Mark Twain’s,
“Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, and even depicts the contemporary age of society. The main
components of the failure of humanity that is highlighted in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”
and seen throughout today’s society include greed, selfishness, and cowardice. All three of these
are shown through characters in the novel and people in real life today. Greed and selfishness in
the novel are portrayed through the Duke and the King, while in the contemporary age, it’s
shown through robberies and infidelity. Cowardice is exposed in the novel through Boggs and
Colonel Sherburn, while in the modern age, it’s shown through bullying. The failures of
humanity are each a part of everyday lives from the 1960s to the present, and the sins or
“failures” that are brought to our attention were much like the ones produced in “Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn”.
Failure of Humanity
6
References
Armed Robbers Hit Bank, Steal Cell Phones. (2009, December 16). Armed robbers hit bank,
steal cell phones. Africa News Service. Retrieved December 21, 2009 from Student
Resource Center – Gold.
Friedman, E. (2009, December 1). Cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs claims Tiger Woods affair.
Retrieved December 21, 2009 from
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jaimee-grubbs-claims-tiger-woodsaffair/story?id=9216688
Juvonen, J. (2008, September). Extending the school grounds – bullying experiences in
cyberspace. Journal of School Health, 496(10), 78. Retrieved December 21, 2009 from
Student Resource Center – Gold.
Megan’s Law; Cyber-bullying and the Courts. (2009, July 11). Megan’s law; cyber-bullying and
the courts. The Economist. Retrieved December 21, 2009 from Student Resource Center
– Gold.
Twain, M. (1940). Adventures of huckleberry finn. New York: The Modern Library.
UPI NewsTrack. (2009, December 11). Upi newstrack. UPI NewsTrack Sports. Retrieved
December 21, 2009 from Student Resource Center – Gold.