Twain and Huck... Two of a kind?

Mark Twain’s “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn” portrays the essence of the south during slavery and mirrors some of the same experiences Twain was familiar with. Twain, who grew up in the south was able to bring the south to life throughout this novel. He chose to write this novel using what we refer to as, “local color”. Local color used in writing such as fiction and poetry which focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region. The main character in this novel played by a young and uneducated boy allowed this writing technique to be successful. Huckleberry Finn takes place mostly on the Mississippi river. Twain was raised in a little town on the Mississippi river named Hannibal. Twain shared a few similarities with his character Huck.  Huck whose mother passed away when he was very young and his father left him to fend for himself was required to adapt into society however he deemed necessary in order to survive. Twain’s father passed away when he was twelve and left his family to handle several hardships.  Like Huck, Twain was forced out into the world and quit school to work as a printer’s apprentice. Huck became accustom to living in several different places which included when he was taken in by the Widow Douglas and Miss. Watson. They owned a few slaves including Jim. Jim is an intelligent yet superstitious slave that is at the mercy of multiple characters during this novel. Twain and his family owned household slaves while he was growing up. This may have been where he was able to create Jim’s character. Huck after helping Jim escape begins a long journey down the Mississippi river where they are faced with many degrading and emotional situations. Twain liked to travel up and down the Mississippi river as well. Although he was not on a man made raft, he worked on the riverboats where he eventually became a riverboat pilot. Twain wanted to focus on the institution of slavery and the South. This novel was originally a sequel to Twain’s novel, “The Adventure of Tom Sawyer”, but Huck Finn took on a more serious roll that captured reader’s attention. This novel has become a top seller several times and a required reading assignment in most English classes due to its realistic demonstration of the reality of slavery in our country.

Work Cited:
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction, 1865-1895." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University.  2011Web. Fri. 25Nov. 2011

Mark Twain's Influence in Literature

              Mark Twain is a very familiar name in American Literature. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are still on multiple lists as required reading assignments in schools. Twain was responsible for the introduction of the use of “local color”. Twain used this form of dialect to bring the southern characters in his stories to life. This made a huge impact on readers and literary critics.
              Twain has been and still remains the subject of multiple biographies and works of literary analysis. His stories are a big part of American popular culture. His works have been used as influences for other writers and works. Twain is still considered one of the most essential writers this country has ever published. Mark Twain is such a familiar name in American Literature. His writings occurred during both the Romantic and Realist time eras in American Literature. His novels however don’t seem to fit into either of the two categories. Twain has however been categorized in the literary movement called, “The New Order”.
               Twain was the subject of many author’s discussions and quoted him in their writings. One of the earliest examples of Mark Twain’s influence appeared in Ernest Hemingway’s “Green Hills of Africa” (1935): “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. . . .[I]t’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.” Ralph Ellison, who’s “Invisible Man” (1952) was considered one of America’s greatest novels since World War II. Ellison explains how Twain’s writings affected American Literature when he made the statement: “Mark Twain … transformed elements of regional vernacular speech into a medium of uniquely American literary expression and thus taught us how to capture that which is essentially American in our folkways and manners. For indeed the vernacular process is a way of establishing and discovering our national identity.”  Mark Twain never hesitated to speak his mind and his writings just brought that idea to life. He will always be remembered as someone who took chances and expressed what no one else would.

Sources:
Alan Greenblatt, “Why Mark Twain Still Matters” NPR.com, public broadcasting PBS, 21 April, 2010, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126135081
“Mark Twain’s Literary Influence”, THE BIG READ , National Endowment for the Arts. Pg. 16
http://www.neabigread.org/teachers_guides/handouts/theadventuresoftomsawyer/theadventuresoftomsawyer_handout_1.pdf

Samuel Langhorne's transformation into Mark Twain

Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in a small town named Florida, Mo. Twain’s birth given name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens and he was the sixth child in the Clemens family.  In his early years, Twain was kept inside due to his poor health conditions. He was cured of his conditions by age nine and was able to explore the outdoors. At age 12 his father passed away and he decided to leave school and become a printer’s apprentice. After two years, Twain began to work for his brother newspaper as a printer and editorial assistant. This was where he found out he enjoyed writing. Twain turned 17 and left his home for St. Louis and a printing job while he was in St. Louis, Twain took a job as a river pilot's apprentice. He became a licensed river pilot in 1858. The name Mark Twain is a river term which means that is safe to navigate. The Civil War brought the river trade to an end and Twain set out to work as a newspaper reporter. He worked for several different newspapers in the United States.  The first time Twain gained the public’s attention was with his story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavarus County”. It appeared in the New York Saturday Press in November of 1865. His first book was published in 1869 and was titled, “The Innocents Abroad”.  He continued on to have, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” between 1876 and 1885. Twain wrote a total of 28 books and multiple short stories, letters and sketches. Mark Twain passed away on April 21, 1910 and is still considered a talented writer today. There is a museum open to the public in his childhood hometown. There is a County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee every third weekend in May in Calavarus County in honor of Mark Twain. Mark Twain’s writings remain popular in American culture and used in most English classes today.