The Conflicts between Ideals and Reality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
heavy-hearted about the gang. But when Tom of Sally Aunt?s knew there is no hurt, just killed a nigger, she thoroughly feel easily even relaxed. Even the two liars could win Huck?s sympathy. When they suffer swindlers, He runs into a mob that carries the King and Duke out of the town. Huck cannot be hardened his heart in trouble. Huck is also a natural youth of true virtue who is brought into the crazy world of adults which the innocent child cannot understand. During Huck?s adventures revealed a series of ridiculous and evil scenes of society: the bodies floating in the river, the conflict between the families of Granger ford and Shepherdson, liars like the King and the Duke?All these through Huck?s eyes reflect greedy, hypocritical, cruel, and vainglorious of adults. Those village natures of adults are contemptible, the reader found people?s crazy action to hidden treasure, the murder of Dr.Robinson, and the adult?s fear of accusing Injun Joe of body snatching. Twain exposed the lies of civilization, and strongly criticized the shameless adults.
Through comparison between Huck with adult, Twain showed us the ideal of morality exist only in verbal. Morality was disorder a king of social rule in the U.S. To the western, God is divine. They use religious as a weapon to show as a person high moral. Morality is always senseless and outpouring. People should keep the nature in the life.
3.2.2 Lie and Truth
Lie and truth is one of aspect in the conflict between ideal and reality. In the 19th century, western people believe God. God said “liar should be punished”, so people think a liar is worse than a thief.
In the novel, kind Huck saves two people who is chasing by angry crowd. He helps them, but soon discovers the King and the Duck are cunning liars. They want Huck and Jim to cheat for money. The King and the Duck is real liar. Their lie only is for the money. They never feel regret and guilt. Huck has three lies in the novel. The first lie is that Huck fake himself death scene. He wants to flee his father Pap. The second lie is that Huck cheat hoodlum for life of Jim. The third lie is that Huck disguise as Tom. Tom wants to pay a visit Mrs. Phelps. When Mrs. Phelps see huckleberry, she thinks he
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The Conflicts between Ideals and Reality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
is her nephew Tom. Smart huckleberry just pretends to be Tom. At that time, a liar not only will be punished but be despised. The truth requires people to execute without deviating. The King and Huck are liars, and they all violate the truth. The King lies for own greed, but Huck lies for helping other people. Huck?s thought was influenced by social rules and constraints of education, so his heart feels deeply guilt and fear. He is worried about being punished. Huck?s lie is good. In fact, although Huck lies, he keeps the nature of conscience. Good lie should be accepted. In the real life, lie and truth is no completely clear. It is not absolute that lie is bad and truth is completely correct. People should evaluate according to different situation. Without violating the conscience, good lies should be accepted.
3.2.3 Huck’s“Sound Heart”and Deformed Conscience
Jim is a black slave. He escapes from Miss Watson. Huck?s relationship with Jim is central to the novel's narrative, to its structure, and to its theme. They draft about Mississippi River. Escaping down the river, which is the thread that holds together the developing friendship between the two runaways on the raft. As a result of the quest of freedom, they escape from pap and Miss Watson. Although Huck casts off Pap and Widow Douglas, Huck cannot get rid of the effect and control of that civilizing society. He is affected deeply and strongly by the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, and other “civilizing” person. The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson make him accept education of civilization society. In their world, is not equal to white and black. Jim?s different treatment is the best example. His drunken father often maliciously attacks the niggers. All this has a bad effect to Huck?s mind. Huck is a white boy. He also has the racial prejudice to Jim. There is no escape for Huck from St Petersburg and the civilization of the Mississippi valley either into the “lonesomeness” of nature or into the consolation of friendship. The raft, indeed, becomes the vehicle of his Mora torment, the narrow, unavoidable stage for the “collision” between his “sound hearts” and deformed conscience. On the one hand he hopes to help Jim to escape; on the other hand his conforming consciences give him strong pressure, and the pressure often surrenders him. But after his experiences in Mississippi, he knows what “conscience” is.
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Finally, his “sound heart” defeats the “deformed conscience”. Mark Twain said when the wholesome soul was in conflict with the abnormal conscience, the latter would be defeated.
IV. Conclusion
Through the thesis, we know the social reality in the 1850s. As Twain worked on his novel racial relations, which seemed to be on a positive path in the years following the Civil War once again become strained. At that time, the American society makes widely known equality, but equal is a bubble. The while has freedom, while the black do not have the right of freedom and equality under the oppression. Huck stands for positive American people at that time. Huck?s adventure is a mirror of the social experience of American people. People want to adventure, but less people do in practice. Adventure is a kind of challenge of society. Huck is regard as a true adventure. He wants to escape from the “civilizing” society for freedom. He wants not only freedom of action but the emancipation of the mind. The contrast between ideal life and reality are given a list side by side. This article is based on Slavery. The main conflict is the social status of blacks and whites. The starting point of paper is focused on morality. Adults compare with children reflect the hypocritical of adult and innocence of children. Corrosion mainly reveals the social moral codes of people?s thoughts. It is the best book we have had and it is the true picture of the whole social system. Twain inspire people to break the rules and seek freedom. The novel has had a profound impact on American literature as well as the world literature.
References
A11en, J.P.B. and Pit Corder, ed. PAPERS IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Oxford University Press, 1975.
Butrym, J. Alexander, Mark Twain?s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Related Works, Tian Qingxuan translation [J].China, Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching Research Press, 1996.
Donnelly, Brian, York Notes: Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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[M].Beijing: World Publishing Corporation.1989.
Robert, L. James, Cliff Notes on Twain?s Huckleberry Finn [M].America: Lincoln Nebraska. 1898.
Twain, Mark, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching Research Press. 1992.
诺布洛娃, 张由今 译.《马克·吐温评传》. 北京: 北京作家出版社,1958. 常耀信.《美国文学史》. 天津: 南开大学出版社,1990.
熊玉鹏.《健全的心灵战胜了畸形的良心——论〈哈克贝利·芬历险记〉》.北京: 商务印书馆,1993.
赵节之.《马克·吐温对人性的幽默与反思》. 北京: 北京大学出版社,1998. 胡松波.《哈克贝利费恩历险记》的后殖民主义解读.河南: 河南人民出版社, 2008.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to give my thanks to all who have helped me through out the study. If they don?t help me, the completion of this study would be impossible.
I appreciate to my supervisor professor Liu. She gives me many suggestions from which I benefit a lot.
Besides, I am very grateful for my classmates—Helen and Sara. They give much more help during the data collection.
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