Examples Of Irony In Huckleberry Finn

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America has always been a country filled with irony from its past to the present. From the promises of the Declaration of Independence that all should be equal while still owning slaves to Americans complaining about immigrants when they, too, were originally immigrants. Mark Twain also lived in irony since he lived with his parents owning slaves when he did not approve of slavery. He captures this ironic history within his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book showcases the thrill of a young boy named Huckleberry “Huck” Finn and a slave named Jim as they travel down the Mississippi River in search for freedom. Twain makes readers ponder about their views and change perspectives by showcasing ironic views on slavery in his book.…show more content…
However, Twain reverses this belief by demonstrating that African-American slaves are far more rational than their superiors. When Jim and Huck were having a conversation about why Americans cannot possibly understand a French talking, Huck gets frustrated that Jim cannot understand this and says, “I see it warn’t no use wasting words-- you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quit” (Twain 80). This displays a gap of logic and understanding between a slave and a white boy. Ironically, the gap turned out to be that the slaves were far more logical than the whites. As Huck finds himself between a deadly feud between two families, the Grangerford and the Shepherdson, Huck discovers himself wondering why these two families were fighting in the first place. He asks Buck if he knew anything about the fight, in which Buck answers “no”, or if his father knew why. Buck replies, “ ‘Oh, yes, pa knows, I reckon, and some of the other old people; but they don’t know what the row was about in the first place’ ” (108). The Grangerford’s slaves were not the ones foolishly killing others, it was their masters. These two families do not even know why they are killing one another in the first place, all they know is to do it. A reader will go from thinking the slaves were unreasonable to suddenly being confused that these white families are killing each for practically…show more content…
As the doctor was fixing up Tom Sawyer’s leg in the middle of nowhere, the doctor clearly needed help. Jim risked his safety and freedom to provide aid for the doctor and Tom. One would think that this doctor would be grateful and appreciative, but instead he worries more about not letting Jim get away, because he assumes that Jim is a runaway slave, than his own patient. He explains to the townspeople, “I had a couple of patients with the chills, and of course I’d of liked to run up to the town and see them, but I dasn’t because the nigger might get away” (286). Apparently, this doctor, and perhaps the entire society, agrees that it is more important to not let a slave get away than save someone’s life, which is very ironic as to how much importance they put into making sure that a slave does not get their freedom than saving a child of their own color. This also changes the reader’s perspective on society’s

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