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Example research essay topic: Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain - 1,360 words

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The Supersition's In The Adventures Of Huckleberry The Supersition's In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn James 1 Chad James Mrs. Cover American Literature 3 December 1999 Supersition's in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn People by their own nature are superstitious and terrified of things, objects, and events they do not understand. The South, more predominately evident in superstition than anyplace in the United States. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn identifiable elements of superstition gives this novel its flavor as they serve complex purposes (Cohen 854). Samuel Clemmings, better known as Mark Twain, which he grew up in the South was able to draw conclusions and familiarity with supersition's in writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain uses his great knowledge of folklore, superstition, and myth through two main characters, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, and their roles with the superstition of the South.

Supersition's, by, definition are the supernatural beliefs that some disdain but others accept (Cohen 854). Mark Twain charmed audiences all over the world because he knew from his memories of folklife that the way the tale is told is as important as the tale itself (Cohen 853). Twain expressed these features of superstition excellently in Huckleberry Finn and Jim. Mark Twain does not view superstition with disdain, and he uses supersition's to develop Huck and Jim and the story throughout his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. To understand how Twain uses the superstition, the person must understand Twain's childhood as how he was brought up and where he grew up. Hannibal, Missouri, a small town on the Mississippi River is where Twain's family moved when he was only four years old.

Growing up on the Mississippi River, Mark James 2 Twain experienced many things, and became exposed to superstition. Mark Twain built on folklore and consciously interested Southern supersition's, language, customs, and folklore in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Ferris 456). Folk customs and some rituals helped to structure living in the South (Ferris 456). Twain was surrounded by these myths, supersition's, and folklore which gave him the the structure for such a great novel, with high knowledge about the surroundings and its was of life. Folklore in literature is not folklore in the raw. Certainly a folktale told in its natural habitat is art of its own kind, but literacy art is another kind of performance (Cohen 853).

Twain believe in signs and portents. He was born in 1835 when Halley's Comet was making one of its 75 -year appearances and once said he would go out with its return- he died on April 21, 1910, one day after it had reached its perihelion (Kaplan 386). Twain believe in his dreams and that they will come true. Twain also believe in fortune tellers and faith healing through God. The supersition's that made Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn tremble and exult never died in Mark Twain (Wood 83). Jim played the biggest part in superstition, which effected the mood swings of the characters.

Jim believed in witches, ghost, weather signs, omens, and dreams (Cohen 854). On the river with Huckleberry Finn, Jim becomes a free living man, and when he puts his supersition's to work, they become effectual. This natural world has a place for the supernatural, and Jims supersition's saved his own life and Huckleberry Finns, ultimately make possible Huck's spiritual salvation as well (Cohen 854). In the second chapter of the book, Huckleberry Finn describes Jims five center piece he wears round his neck, given to him by the devil, with which he can call witches to cure anybody (Twain 6).

Cohen writes by the end of the novel Jim becomes not simply a rounded character, but the spiritual center of the book (854). James 3 Another example of Jims superstitious nature is when he tells Huckleberry Finn: Dah, now, Huck, what I tell you up da on Jackson islan? I tole you I got a hair brea's, en whats de sign unt it, en I tole ya I been rich want, en gwine ter be rich agin, en its come true; eh heah she is! Dah, now! doan talk to me signs is signs, mine I tell you, en I know jis s well at In gwizenter be rich agin as Is a standing heah did minute! (Twain 314). Throughout the novel Jim displays a dazzling powers over signs.

Jim finds signification everywhere, from the hair on his breast to the figments in his dreams, and his ability to read these signs give him a sense of control over his own fate (Kearns 109). Huckleberry Finn was the other main character affected with supervision in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. During Huckleberry Finn and Jims traveling down the Mississippi River, Huckleberry Finn gets taught a lot of things about supersition's. Jim had a big influence on Huckleberry Finns actions towards the supersition's. Kearns believes Huckleberry Finn is troubled in a way Jim is not by the implications of determinism, or a lack of free will, that comes with the belief in supersition's. Huckleberry Finn recognizes that both he and Jim are far more implicated in the making of the codes they pretended merely to read than his partner would seem to admit even though this recognition leaves him in an uncomfortable position of entanglement and uncertainly (111).

During Huckleberry Finn and Jims trip down the Mississippi River, Jim takes advantage of Huckleberry Finn by not telling him that he had seen Paps body dead in the river. Jim was really just trying to protect Huckleberry Finn from getting hurt with his James 4 emotions. Jim tries to keep Huckleberry Finn safe the whole trip, Jim sorta treated him like is own son. trying to keep him out of trouble and danger. This natural world has a place for the supernatural, and Jims supersition's saved his own life and Huck's and ultimately make possible Huckleberry Finns spiritual salvation as well (Cohen 854). Jims love for children might have caused him to want to protect Huck from what he felt would be a tragedy (Roberts 29).

Huckleberry Finn learns from Jims superstition. Huckleberry Finn does not in the snakeskin, until the snakeskin does work. Jim tells Huckleberry Finn that you are not spouse to touch a snakeskin with bare hands. Snake functions in African and New World Negro folklore only as a minor character, except in the case of the well- known story of animals gratitude of human aid, where in some areas this creature is a protagonist (Krappe 1029). In the end, the reader is fully aware of how the supersition's can mold a persons beliefs and control his or her actions. Many people become controlled by supersition's.

When people walk under ladders, black cats, Friday the 13 th, broken glass, umbrella inside, and lucky charms they get reminded by these supersition's. Are they true or just a myth? People still ask themselves these questions. Mark Twain uses such great supersition's in the The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain puts together the beliefs in signs and superstition to true friendship. To truly know and understand Huckleberry Finn and Jim is to understand their real tionship and friendship to one another, and how Twain uses Jim as the character that combines Jim and Huckleberry Finn together.

Bibliography Work Cited Cohen, Hennig. Folklore in Literature. Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Eds.

Charles Reason Wilson and William Ferris. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. Ferris, William. Folklife. Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Eds.

Charles Reason Wilson and William Ferris. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. Kearns, Cleo Mc Nelly. The Limits Of Semiotics. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Ed.

Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Krappe, Alexander H. Snake Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore Mythology and Legend. volume 2: J-Z. Ed.

Maria Leach. New York: A Division of Readers Digest Books Inc. , 1950. Roberts, James L. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Notes.

Ed. Gary Carey. Lincoln, Nebraska: Clif Notes, 1971. Twain, Mark.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Macmillan, 1962. Wood, James Play stead. Spunkwater, Spunkwater! A Life of Mark Twain.

New York: Pantheon Books, 1968.


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Research essay sample on Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain

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