The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Huck's dialect
why do you think Twain tells the story in Huck's dialect? how do you think the story would sound if told it more formal language?
Asked by
tin l #93491
Last updated by
charles s #54728
Answers 2
Add Yours
Answered by
coco s #17435
Twain's message was NOT politically correct for the times. Having a 14-year-old boy tell his story removes Twain from the actual message. It also helps readers to see the discrimination from a more personal viewpoint. Huck is not educated, but he experiences the world and gets "real world" schooling. This in contrast to Tom Sawyer, who goes to school and does all the "right" things, and has some ridiculous ideas (especially about how to "free" Jim). Twain's use of the vernacular brings Huck to life in a realistic way.
Answered by
charles s #54728
Having Huck talk in "unedicated" dialect makes him seem harmless, when in fact Twain's message is a stinging one. He hides behind Huck because anyone in that time who spoke against slavery was (to borrow from Harper Lee's Atticus Finch) hounded from our midst as unfit to live with.
