Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known to his readers as Mark Twain, is now recognized as a prominent writer of the American Realism period. Twains novels are realists in their own rite. They explicate the value of morality and justice. His most famous work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is perhaps the greatest representation of his sarcastic social criticism. Had Mark Twain had it his way, many literary critics, readers, and even members of the general public would have been shot, according to the warning he placed before the text of his book. However The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains the prominent critical allegory of its time. The purpose of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is to highlight the similarities and differences between the morality of Huckleberry, the main character, and that of society at the time, creating a satirical social commentary.The reader meets Huckleberry Finn as a young teenager, about thirteen or so. Huck by no means fits the popular perception of a good boy at the time. However, his innocence is demonstrated in his games with one of his friends, Tom Sawyer. Both Huck and Tom have read many fantasy stories about crooks and pirates, and they are both intrigued with what they see as the romantic lifestyle this entails. They, with another boy, run away from home briefly to become criminals themselves. They all make a pact to attack and kill rich men on the river, taking their money and seducing their wives. The true meaning of this is exemplified when the other boy wakes up crying and says he wants to go home, back to his mother. Tom admits he misses his Aunt Polly and even Huck says he misses the Widow Douglas a bit. Here it is clear just how innocent a young boy Huck is. His wild plans of raiding and looting are disrupted by his longing for home, after only a night away. Hucks mother died shortly after he was born, and his father was an alcoholic who neglected and beat him, so Huck w...
