Rohan Mital Period 6 Mr.

Lamar 1-11-12 Huck Finn Essay-Lies Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a satirical approach to many topics of daily life. One of the topics emphasized were lies and deceit. Mark Twain emphasizes that lies are tolerable, however there is a line between acceptable lies and non-acceptable lies. Often times in Huck Finn many lies are used to benefit someone else. Mark Twain conveys the message that not all lies are wrong. "It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face it's too gashly." (Twain 55). Jim does not lie exactly, he only exaggerates the truth, either way he still does not tell the truth. Even though Jim lies about the dead man looking horrible, he is only lying to help Huck. His lies are well intentioned. However, Jim is not the only one who tells lies for the well being of others. Huck also tells lies for others. Says I to myself, I can explain better how we come to not be in that room this morning if I go out to one side and study over it a little. So I done it. But I dasn't go fur, or she'd a sent for me. And when it was late in the day the people all went, and then I come in and told her the noise and shooting waked up me and "Sid," and the door was locked, and we wanted to see the fun, so we went down the lightning-

rod, and both of us got hurt a little, and we didn't never want to try THAT no more. And then I went on and told her all what I told Uncle Silas before; (Twain 296). This quote shows that Hucks lies can also be used for good. In this specific quote he helps ease Aunt Sallys worries about Sid. Throughout the story Twain establishes the fact that some lies can be used for beneficial reasons. Even though most lies are big and have a huge reason behind them, some lies can be used for pure fun and practical reasons. "Well, this is too many for me, Jim. I hain't seen no fog, nor no islands, nor no troubles, nor nothing. I been setting here talking with you all night till you went to sleep about ten minutes ago, and I reckon I done the same. You couldn't a got drunk in that time, so of course you've been dreaming" (Twain 92). Huck tells Jim that there was no fog an d that he dreamt the whole incident up. Even though Jim only lies to help Huck, Huck just has fun playing tricks on him. Another instance when something similar happens is when Huck gives Jim a nickel and Jim thinks it was from witches. Even though Huck never told Jim anything about the witches, he never told the truth either. He just sat there and enjoyed the fun. Lies are used to play practical jokes on others. Often times lies are used to manipulate people and have evil reasons behind them. Good examples of the type of people that do that are the Duke and the King. Well, when it come to that it worked the crowd like you never see anything like it, and everybody broke down and went to sobbing right out loud the poor girls, too; and every woman, nearly, went up to the girls, without saying a word, and kissed them, solemn, on the forehead, and then put their hand on their head, and looked up towards the sky, with the tears running down, and then busted out and went off sobbing and

swabbing, and give the next woman a show. I never see anything so disgusting (Twain 172). Huck becomes ashamed of the lies of the Duke and King. He is able to draw the line between small tiny fibs and straight out frauds. Mark Twain emphasizes that a greedy fraud is definitely not all right. "I say orgies, not because it's the common term, because it ain't obsequies bein' the common term but because orgies is the right term. Obsequies ain't used in England no more now it's gone out. We say orgies now in England. Orgies is better, because it means the thing you're after more exact. It's a word that's made up out'n the Greek ORGO, outside, open, abroad; and the Hebrew JEESUM, to plant, cover up; hence inTER. So, you see, funeral orgies is an open er public funeral" (Twain 176). In this quote, the King uses the inferior knowledge of the people and is able to deceive them easily. Well, I never see anything like that old blister for clean out-and-out cheek (Twain 211). Huck quickly realizes that his lies are nowhere close to being as bad as those of the Duke and King. Twain constantly establishes the fact that people do lie for a living and have evil intentions. In conclusion, Twain shows that there are different types of lies, and that there is a clear drawn out line between those that are acceptable and those that are not. Some lies are used for the good of others. Some lies are used to have fun. Finally, some lies are used for the sheer manipulation of others and have evil intentions.