Huck is considered an uneducated, backwards boy, constantly under pressure to conform to the "humanized" surroundings of society. Jim, a slave, is not even considered as a real person, but rather he is seen as property. As they run from civilization on the river, they ponder the social injustices forced upon them when they are on land. There are many times in the story when Twain shows these social injustices, but there is no point more evident than when Huck and Jim have to make landfall. This provides Twain with the chance to satirize the socially correct injustices that Huck and Jim encounter on land. The satire that Twain uses to expose the hypocrisy, racism, greed and injustice of society develops along with the adventures that Huck and Jim have. The ugly reflection of society we see should make us question the world we live in, and only the journey down the river provides us with that chance.

Another example of Twain satirizing events in the story is when Huck encounters the feuding Grangerford and Shepardson families. He describes Colonel Grangerford as, "...a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family. He was well born, as the saying is, and that's worth as much in a man as it is in a horse" (Twain 1301). You can almost hear the sarcasm from Twain in Huck's description of Colonel Grangerford. Later Huck is becoming aware of the hypocrisy of the family and its feud with the Shepardsons when Huck attends church. He is amazed that while the minister preaches about brotherly love both the Grangerfords and Shepardsons are carrying weapons. Later, when the feud erupts into a gunfight, Huck sits in a tree, disgusted by the waste and cruelty of the feud, "It made me so sick I most fell out of the tree...I wished I hadn't ever come ashore that night to see such things"(Twain 1308). The tone of what Huck is saying here really drives home the point that these two feuding families are no better than outlaws. T.S Eliot said in an essay that "[Huck] is the impassive observer: he does not interfere...he does not judge"(Eliot 330). Unlike his counterparts in his society, Huck does not get involved with others business and for the main part he keeps to himself, and lets the other people in society do the 'judging'. This society can look at Huck and Jim and say that they are uneducated and backwards, but they first may want to take a look at who they, themselves, really are.

Smith, Henry. Critical Essays on Mark Twain: 1910- 1980. Boston, MA. G.K. Hall & Co., 1983.

Eliot, T.S. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Adventures of Huck Finn. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice Hall, 1968.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2121
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)