Hypocrisy of Civilized Society in Huckleberry Finn Samuel
Hypocrisy of Civilized Society in Huckleberry Finn
• Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) • Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri • Twain – two fathoms deep • Punch, Brothers, Punch! and Other Stories (1878) • A Tramp Abroad (1880) • The Stolen White Elephant (1882) • Life on the Mississippi (1883) • Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896) • How to Tell a Story and Other Essays (1897) • A Dog's Tale (1904) • Is Shakespeare Dead? (1909)
Society – arrogant hypocrisy Two contradictory belief systems Official- Freedom & Equality Unofficial Dichotomy that divided humanity ‘Civilized’ & ‘Savages’ Racial & Religious hypocrisy
� Evolution- means to justify doctrines of racial purity � One race claimed superiority over the other � Blacks- subhuman , inferior , unintelligent, physically strong, ‘ignorant’ � Twain satirizes this kind of reasoning � Exposes the flaws of ‘whole’ men
Racial Hypocrisy • “ a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles etc. . , that one does not really possess” • PAP- abusive racist, drunk old man • JIM- well meaning, kind hearted • Genuinely whole • Symbolically replaces Huck’s father figure
Religious Hypocrisy �Shrouded in the veil of self deception �Practitioners preached hypocritical religious values �Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, Silas Phelps �Well intentioned Christians �Deceived to think that slavery is perfectly acceptable
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