“I do not have any prejudices against races, colors, castes or creeds. Yes, I do. I can tolerate any society. All I really care about is the fact that a guy is a real human being.
-MARKTWAIN, Concerning Jews
Huckleberry Finn, the American Classic is a book that will delight children’s imaginations and provoke adults to ask questions. Huckleberry Finn is an American classic, one of the most popular books in the country. But, for many in the literary world, the book has become a constant topic of discussion, the gameboard in which intellectual dominance is played. Huckleberry Finn’s pages have been turned upside down and even added to by writers who were perhaps attracted by Twain’s warning. In this article, I will follow in the footsteps of many other writers by revealing my moral interpretations of the classic. By uncovering what James Phelan called a “covert” text, I will prove Huckleberry Finn as a historical analogy that represents the hypocrisy.
In order to discover a “coverttext” in a novel, I must first understand what this phrase means. James Phelan, in his essay On the Nature and Statute of Covert Texts, describes the writer’s desire for “covert text” or hidden messages, points, or moral codes within a narrative. Phelan’s reader-response mechanisms, or attempts to uncover hidden meanings, can be interpreted as either “subversive”, where critics question the “authorially formed meaning,” or “inventive,” where critics add to the original text. I’ve chosen the “subversive”, or resistance, path.
Since Huckleberry was published in 1885, critics have attacked the book for its racial implications. Kafka stated that Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does not represent the “axe of our frozen sea”; rather, it represents the frozen, immoral sea. One of its premises insults history, while another denigrates Blacks. The book may seem demeaning towards blacks but it is not an insult to history. Huckleberry’s bluntness succeeded in bringing slavery to light. Its meaning was veiled under a children’s story. Mark Twain is known to have held strong views on politics and morals. This includes his opposition to slavery.
Mark Twain stated in his memoir, “It is impossible for an intelligent and humane person to come up with a rational explanation for slavery. But you’ll remember that the agitators in the North in the beginning of the emancipation struggle got little support or consideration from anyone.” No matter how hard they tried, they were unable to break the world stillness, which reigned in pulpit and press from top to bottom.
Mark Twain ended the silence when he disguised literature for “humane, intelligent people” as children’s books and fantasy. The book was a hit, and it’s no surprise that everyone noticed it. Twain, in Huckleberry Finn created a rich metaphor for the historical Emancipation Period: a parody of naive Abolitionists who deceived the American congress and the imperialistic British. Huck embodies northern abolitionists. Huck was driven by ideology and the desire for freedom, just like when the abolitionist movement began. Huck’s quest for freedom was not to escape civilization. It was to free himself from his abusive dad and from the ideologies which were imposed upon him. Huck constantly questions his beliefs, whether they come from Christianity, school, or the fantasies of Tom Sawyer. He is a radical abolitionist because he questions the established moral codes of his time. Huck is never a believer and does not fall for false information. Huck doesn’t believe Tom when he says that Tom played a “robbers-game” which was “exactly like a Sunday School.”
Jim, a slave, is along for the ride with Huck after he escapes civilization and its restrictive ideals. Jim and Huck running for freedom along the Mississippi into the South is a representation of the abolitionist movement in the South. Huck, Jim, and their companions are separated on many occasions during their journey. The incident in the fog surrounding Cairo, however, is the most important. Twain depicts the hazy zones that crept between the Northern Slave States and Northern Free States. The fog in this scene is a metaphor of the murky ideology prevalent in Border States. There, many were not sure whether they were against or for slavery.
Huck and Jim faced other obstacles in their quest for freedom. The two biggest were the Duke and King and Tom Sawyer’s re-emergence at the end. Twain’s other works and memoirs such as Following the Equator show a cold-hearted attitude toward aristocracy. Twain wrote in his biography: “There has never been a throne without a crime”. It’s not surprising that the two most detestable characters, the conmen, called themselves the Duke and the King. Twain portrays these characters as the British Government. Twain says that historically Britain opposed American slavery, but their actions towards the natives who live in their African territories mirror the horrors of American slave trade. Twain said, when referring to British slavery, that it was “several times worse” than American slavery. A few days after this, the Duke gives Jim the money he promised. Twain presented the Duke as a symbol of the British abolitionists’ artificial loyalty.
The concluding chapters are the place where I want to make the last and possibly most important statement. These chapters are where Twain shows his true genius, and where he makes the most clear points. Tom, Huck’s closest friend and best playmate, must first be understood. Tom is an escapist. He is clever, intelligent, and, in many ways, wicked. This boy provides nothing but ideology. Tom represents congress in Twain’s history metaphor: “…the littlest minds, the most selfish souls, the cowardliest of hearts, that God can make” (Twain. Tom’s qualities are embraced by most readers at the end. Tom, who represents congress, makes it easier for Huck to accept the horrifying rules and elaborate plans devised by Tom/congress. For the American Government, the game was just a way to have fun and amuse them, as well as appease the minds the abolitionists. Tom responds, “Work?” to Huck’s plan of immediate rescue. It would certainly work. Like rats fighting. But it is too easy to blame; it’s not worth it. What’s a plan which isn’t more trouble than this? Tom Twain was right when he said that the idea of congress would be a plan with no further complications. Twain summarizes the idea with a quote in his Biography. Imagine you were a congressman. But I reiterate myself.”
The end of the book, with its elaborate “games” and elaborate pranks played on Jim, has caused endless debate and disappointment for both critics as well as readers. Readers who were thrilled by Jim’s friendship with Huck and his prospect of freedom were shocked at the ending. All morality and humanity was thrown out. What is humanity? Twain, if asked, would say, “Such a race is humanity.” Twain says, “It’s a real pity Noah didn’t make it” (Christian Science).
Twain ends his novel with a historical metaphor. The emancipation was started by voices that believed naively they could change ideologies. At first, the British laughed, as did congress and Northern society. Twain reveals in Huckleberry Finn that the emancipation movement failed and is a projection of future race relations. It would take another 100 years for slaves to get real rights, even after they were freed. Twain is not racist, nor did he distort historical events. Huckleberry Finn, as a book, was a metaphor that reflected the failures of American politics, the naivety and lack of faith of abolitionists.