No one who has read the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can deny not seeing the faults of the civilized world that Twain so critically satires. This element of the novel plays the perfect backdrop to the thing Twain uses to compare civilization with: The ideal way of living. Every time the main characters Huck and Jim are away from the influences of the civilized world, Twain’s vision of the ideal way of living reveals itself to the reader. By observing the things that occur when Huck and Jim are in the influences of the civilized world and when they are not, we can see the vast differences that lie between these two elements. The first glimpse that we get of the civilized world in Huck’s time comes to us as early as the first chapter. Huck describes to the reader how he is getting along in civilization. He tells us things about society that he doesn’t yet understand, like how the Widow forbids him to smoke yet she uses tobacco herself. Twain establishes the hypocrisy of civilization early on in the novel to give the reader insight on the differences between the “proper” ways of nineteenth century society and the “improper” behavior that Huck is accustomed to dealing with. This insight that Twain gives to the reader is further expanded with the introduction of Huck’s Pap into the story. After leaving Huck for a little over a year, Pap comes back for Huck, figuring he may have something to gain. “That’s why I come. You git me that money tomorrow- I want it.” [29] are Pap’s words to Huck when they first reunite. Pap, the person most responsiable for Huck’s welfare, is the person who abuses Huck the most. Even though Huck is outside of the civilized world’s grasp when he lives with Pap, this is not the freedom Huck is looking for. Pap is in every respect the exact opposite of Jim. Where Jim...
