Mark Twain s Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn - 1562 Words

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) Introduction Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835- April 21, 1910), commonly known as Mark Twain was an American writer whose works act as social commentary on issues including racism, poverty and class distinctions. His most distinguished novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) convey the vanquished way of life in the pre-Civil War Mississippi Valley and life on the river. His unpretentious, colloquial, yet poetic style and wide-ranging humor embodies the development of ideologies based upon the American Dream. Twains’ life and the literature he contributed shed light to the societal issues and culture inherent within America during the†¦show more content†¦His first success as a writer came when his humorous tall tale, Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog†, published in a New York weekly, The Saturday Press, on November 18, 1865. Marriage (middle-class lifestyle and mobility, American culture of moving forward etc.) His wife, Olivia Langdon Clemens was born into a wealthy family with her father, Jervis Langdon owning a thriving timber and coal business. Olivia’s intellectual and progressive upbringing would become a major influence on Samuel Clemens and his writing. Her father participated in the Underground Railroad; they socialized with leading doctors, theologians and suffragists of the time. Olivia’s aunt was a pioneering itinerant teacher at a time when women were just beginning to be ‘granted permission’ to graduate with college degrees. Mark and Olivia’s marriage reflects the middle-class lifestyle with their nomadic existence and their Socialist, forward-thinking approach to life that began to emerge in America. However, the perpetual travel and Jean’s (son) need for ongoing medical care took its toll on Olivia’s health. Social commentaryïÆ'  post-reconstruction, racism, Jim Crow Laws Twain’s influence on society ultimately involves his novels and the way in which he eloquently and skillfully reflected issues embedded within American culture. During his lifetime, he watched a young United States evolve from a nation torn apart by internal conflicts to one of international power. He experienced America’s vast growth and