Bellcase 1

Leah Bellcase

Ms. Grava

H English 10

8 September 2016

Historical Critical Lens Paper

There is a direct connection between the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry

Finn and the life of the author, Mark Twain. Both Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn do not

have a proper father figure in their lives. Huckleberry has an abusive father that wreaks havoc

whenever he happens to visit town in a drunken state. Mark Twain states, “But by-and-by pap

got too handy with his hick’ry and I couldn’t stand it” (Twain 29). After taking Huckleberry

away from the caring hands of the Widow Douglas and to a cabin in the woods, his father

regularly beats him until Huck can no longer tolerate it. His own father even extorts him for

money, as well as putting a stop to his education, which changes the plans that the Widow had

for Huckleberry.

Mark Twain has no father as his father died when he was the young age of twelve. “(His

mother) became the head of the house in 1847 when John died unexpectedly”. He put his

education on hold in order to obtain a job and help support his family financially, so he became

an apprentice at the Hannibal Courier, which paid him “a meager ration of food”. This impacted

his life greatly as he had to completely rewrite his future for himself.

Huckleberry Finn lives along the Mississippi, as does Mark Twain. The river impacted

their lives daily. Twain “began learning the art of piloting a steamboat on the Mississippi” after

turning 21, therefore living up to his childhood dream and giving him a way to escape from the

hard times of reality. Meanwhile, Huckleberry learns many things as he grows up on the river
 Bellcase 2

such as, fishing, gathering, and canoeing Twain states, “I judged I’d hide her good, and then,

stead of taking to the woods when I runoff, I’d go down the river…”. Huck finds a canoe in the

river and decides to plan his escape from his abusive father. The river therefore provides a way

for Huck to escape his current situation and to make a better life for himself.

Ultimately, Mark Twain’s experiences are tied into his characters in the novel, The

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn and Mark Twain have fathers that negatively

impact their lives, though the Mississippi River has also given them a way as an “escape” from

their lousy lives.

 Bellcase 3

Works Cited

“Mark Twain Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Network’s Television, 27 Nov. 2015. Web. 3 Sept.

2016. http://www.biography.com/peopl/mark-twain-9512564

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Evanston: McDougal Littel, 1997. Print.