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Huckleberry Finn Satire Essay

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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contains many characters with a strong sense of morality, but they have no real cause to believe it, which directly relates today to Stephen Colbert's creation of the word "truthiness". In Huck Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to make the point that morality is an idea, not a feeling. He demonstrates this theme with many different characters. Examples are the judge who sends Huck to live with his abusive father, the Grangerfords' confusing feud with the Sheperdsons, and the Wilks sisters preference to being polite rather than learning the truth about the strangers who claim to be their family. All these characters act on their gut instincts, and this connects directly to Stephen Colberts' definition of the word …show more content…
Joanna is skeptical when she talks to Huck about his life in England and does not seem to believe his stories. Mary Jane comes in and tells Joanna she should be more respectful to their guests. Joanna tries to defend her questioning, but Mary Jane makes it clear how disrespectful Joanna is acting: "It don’t make no difference what he said – that ain't the thing. The thing is for you to treat him kind, and not be saying things to make him remember he ain't in his own country and amongst his own folks." (Twain 132) They feel it is more important to be polite and welcoming than to find out if the strangers who showed up on their door step are really their family, or are there just to steal their money. Just like the judge, the Grangerfords, and the Shephersons, the Wilks sisters are examples of truthiness because they let their feelings get in the way of what is truly right. Both Mark Twain and Stephen Colbert use satire to make their points about morality, and even though they are 120 years apart they are in a way very similar.

In conclusion, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is full of characters who make decisions based on how they feel instead of thinking about the possible outcomes. All the people who are most confident in their beliefs are actually the ones who are misled because they do not put any thought in their decisions and their actions. In a similar way, Stephen

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