Local Color In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s masterpiece,has received much critical attention since its publication. However, criticism of the work has largely been concerned with the language, character, structure and racism, while the local color in the novel still leaves room for investigation. In the light of cultural geography, this thesis discusses the local color in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which aims to explore the cultural meaning of its setting, superstition and vernacular.In this thesis, local color writing is defined as writing that exploits the speech, dress, mannerism, habits of thought and topography peculiar to a certain region, primarily for the portrait of the life in a geographical setting.The main body of the thesis is composed of three chapters.Chapter One focuses on the local color of the Mississippi River. Its conveyance types, including skiff, ferry, canoe, raft and steamboat, demonstrate a free and adventurous lifestyle. Climate patterns, which are sometimes calm and sometimes stormy and foggy, show the ease and danger in life. Living conditions of the towns are poor or prosperous, but the family pattern is similar:either incomplete or separated, exhibiting the collapse of the values of the traditional family. Chapter Two probes into the superstitions prevalent in the region, such as control-signs, prophetic signs, and other signs. Control-signs reveal a hope of creating a better life and prophetic signs betray a fear of what is unknown. Ignorant of scientific knowledge, people rely on other signs for the interpretation of and survival in the world. The white boy Huck and the black slave Jim share the superstitions and are bonded together regardless of their difference in age, race and background.Chapter Three concentrates on the local color of the vernacular language. Huck uses spelling to represent Jim’s pronunciation, displaying Jim’s rusticity. Huck’s intentional repetition indicates his thinking and criticism of what is happening around him, which reveals his self-reflection. His own language is filled with poor grammar, which manifests his poor education as well as unrestraint from rules and social norms.The thesis emphasizes that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn matches Mark Twain’s opinion about the importance of local color in writing, and that the work derives a great part of its charm from its local color, which in a way is a reflection of the diversity and richness of American culture.