Krysten Plahm
Research Paper #4
Prof. Levy
Research Assignment #4: The Positive Light of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is stereotyped to be a novel of
bad nature. It was quickly banned from schools, re written with ‘appropriate language’
and criticized for the message it sent out to young children. Back in the 1880s though,
this book was everything but that. Its well known negative image did not exist during this
time period. Critics praised it for the types of positive messages it gave to readers rather
than tearing it down for its literal meaning. Their discussion of Huck Finn’s positive
image is an element that they solely focus on during this time period. They compliment
and discuss the novel’s writing techniques, messages, and Mark Twain himself.
The writing techniques that are used within the novel help the reader envision the
message that it is trying to create. The descriptive details and language choices are only
there to give the reader the perspective of the time period that the story is written in. The
San Francisco Chronicle comments on how the language helped shaped the book. "’The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ must be pronounced the most amusing book Mark
Twain has written for years. It is a more minute and faithful picture of Southwestern
manners and customs fifty years ago than was "Life on the Mississippi," while in regard
to the dialect it surpasses any of the author's previous stories in the command of the halfdozen species of patois which passed for the English language in old Missouri. Mark
Twain may be called the Edison of our literature” (6). Huck Finn paints a vivid picture
and produces language that helps the reader understand the people of that time period.
These descriptive images only enhance the meaning of the book and help the reader
picture themselves with the characters while reading.
The messages inside the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are clear to
read. The ways they are presented within the novel are up for the reader’s interpretation.
The messages though give the readers a new perspective about how people were treated
during that time period. Discrimination is highlighted frequently throughout the text.
Twain uses this message through his vivid descriptions and dialogue. These messages
were also seen in a positive light when being critiqued by journalists. The Hartford Daily
Times wrote, “It is a good book, and it does teach a certain moral, notwithstanding the
author's disclaimer; it teaches, without seeming to do it, the virtue of honest simplicity,
directness, truth. As to stirring incidents, the story is full of them. It will hugely please the
boys, and also interest people of more mature years” (4). Saying that Huck Finn had
morals would be the last thing anyone would say about the book. This journalist however
took the negative messages that the novel was known for and turned it into a novel that
should be praised for what it has to offer.
Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was praised in
the 1880s for his work on the novel. Journalists marveled at the fact that he could write
such a controversial book that still deserved a positive spotlight. His hard work and effort
did not go unnoticed during this time period and critics made sure to give credit where
credit was due. The Illustrated London News commented by writing, “If you praise him
among persons of Culture, they cannot believe that you are serious. They call him a
Barbarian. They won't hear of him, they hurry from the subject; they pass by on the other
side of the way. Now I do not mean to assert that Mark Twain is "an impeccable artist,"
but he is just as far from being a mere coarse buffoon” (222).When complimenting the
author of such a controversial book shows that the journalist truly believe in their writing.
It shows that they take a stance for a book that has many conflicting reviews. In this
article, Twain is finally viewed as a true artist rather than a controversial writer.
For the first time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is seen as a true story
rather than its debatable message. Twain’s effort is finally appreciated during this time
period and journalists wanted to give the novels name a new meaning. Even though this
novel has got a lot of slack in the past, journalists during this time period make it known
that it is a story that needs to be appreciated for what it is worth.
Works Cited (Microfilms)
Hartford Daily Times March 1885 9: Page 4.
Lang, Andrew. “The Art of Mark Twain.” The Illustrated London News Feb. 1881 14:
Page 222.
The San Francisco Chronicle March 1885 15: Page 6.