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Could anyone provide some help with writing about this essay topic: Illustrate and focus on the humor of Mark Twain. Make sure and give eamples from the text (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) and explain the purpose and meaning behind the humor. Thank you!
Twain uses a lot of ironic humor. One example occurs when Huck puts on a dress and goes to a home to find out the local gossip. The woman thinks she is SO clever in finding out that Huck is a boy because he catches the lump of lead by clapping his knees together and throws the lead like a boy . . . but this lady is not clever enough to see through all Huck's ridiculous lies. I think this shows Twain laughing at people's pretentiousness.
Another part that makes me laugh is when the people of St. Petersburg search for Huck's body by shooting cannons across the water and setting loaves of bread filled with mercury afloat in the river. Of all the ridiculous superstitious practices! These actions put the Negroes' magic hairball and coin practices to shame. At least the Negroes have an excuse for their practices--they are uneducated. But here are the whites, the supposedly "intelligent" race, trying to find a body with bread. Twain is having a good laugh at "white supremacy" here.
A final favorite example for me is not really so funny. The unschooled Huck uses a lot of common sense, while the educated Tom Sawyer is such a fool. As the boys endeavor to free Jim, Tom insists on going through all the actions he reads about in schoolbooks--pet spiders, writing on tin pans, etc. etc. On top of this, he already knows that Jim is free. He is just sporting with a man's life here. Twain is laughing--bitterly--at formal education.