An Interpretation Of Carnivalization Of Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

It is widely acknowledged that Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn attracts great attention since the publication for its controversial antiracism.The carnivalized characters and their actions with carnival nature can be deeply interpreted with the help of Bakhtin's carnival theory,thus revealing how antiracism and anti-tradition are expressed through the seemingly ridiculous behavior in it.Huck,Jim,Tom as well as the king and the duke are the main characters with carnival nature in the novel.Thus the thesis analyzes the novel from the aspect of the carnival square,carnivalistic rituals and ambivalent carnival images.From the view of the carnival square,it is discovered that the frequently occurring carnival squares have suspended the superior law and authority in official life,so that everyone can have free and familiar contacts.When it comes to carnivalistic rituals in the text,the ritual of crowning and decrowning as the primarily carnivalized act is encountered in the text in various forms.Firstly,the king and the duke,who are the exact clowns and fools in the carnival,achieve their crowning and decrowning in their farce,expressing that the carnival exerts subversive influence on the hierarchical structure.The ritual of decrowning is also reflected in the degradation of Shakespearean plays,which shows that the absolute hierarchy and authority are prohibitive in carnival,as everything has its ridiculousness.What's more,the act of crowning and decrowning is mirrored in carnivalized time as well.The atmosphere of rises and falls significantly presents the pathos of shift and changes.In fact,disguise as one of the carnivalistic ritual,is also awarded subversive power,since it overthrows gender boundaries and realizes the shift of position and the deconstruction of the law.Then comes the carnival images with ambivalent nature.Carnival fire,carnival laughter,even Huck and Jim are deeply ambivalent in the text,indicating that carnival images are dualistic and they combine their two contrary poles into one,linking themselves with death and renewal.By means of the carnival theory to interpret Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,the reader can fully and keenly appreciate Mark Twain's subversive attitude towards the antebellum Southern plantation,and his longing for equality and freedom,thereby having a more well-rounded understanding of its progressiveness in ideology and its creativity in art.