Huck 1Word文档格式.docx

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Thisessayrevisitsthedecades-longdebateaboutracialrepresentationinMarkTwain'

sAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnandsuggests,lookingbeyondtherigidbinaryofeitherdemandingabanonthenovelorbelittlingitsraciallyoffensiveaspects,thatinracialtermsTwain'

screationoftheHuck-Jimrelationshipreflectswhatwasintheauthor'

sownlifeandworldviewamuddledterrainofgoodintentions,confusion,wavering,andinconsistency.WhileTwainmaynothaveinscribedhisincompletestrugglewiththe'

racequestion'

inthenoveldeliberately,suchanimprintwasadefactooutcomeofhiswritingprocess.Acusptext,HuckleberryFinnis,ontheonehand,shackledanddiminishedbyitsviewofAfricanAmericansasOthers;

ontheotherhand,thenoveldoescontainaneffort,albeitaflawedandunfinishedone,totranscendthelimitationsofpost-Reconstructionracismandracialism.Thisarticleexaminesthesetension-riddendynamicsofracialrepresentationinHuckleberryFinnbyfocusingonTwain'

sportrayalofJimasafatherfigureforHuck（arelationshipthattemporarilytransgressesthedepictedera'

sprevalentracialhierarchies）andonthenovel'

snoteworthy,thoughlamentablyincomplete,deconstructionofmeaningsconventionallyattachedtowhitenessandblacknessinnineteenth-centuryAmerica.ThisessayarguesthatHuckleberryFinn--acomplextextofwhosedifferentlayersandthreadsTwainwasnotnecessarilyinfullcontrol--bothillustratesandmimicshistoricalprocesseswherebyshacklesofracializedperceptionareatfirstpartlyopenedandthen,disappointingly,partlyclosedagain.

Keywords:

MarkTwain,AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,racialrepresentation,Huck-Jimrelationship,blackmanhood,ToniMorrison

**********

"

I'

dliketopassitontoyou,son.There"

hesaid,handingittome."

Funnythingtogivesomebody,butIthinkit'

sgotaheapofsignifyingwrappedupinitanditmighthelpyourememberwhatwe'

rereallyfightingagainst"

....Itookitinmyhand,athickdark,oilypieceoffiledsteelthathadbeentwistedopenandforcedpartlybackintoplace....

（RalphEllison,InvisibleMan,1965[1952]:

313）

The1880ssawthecollapseofcivilrightsforblacksaswellasthepublicationofHuckleberryFinn.ThiscollapsewasanefforttoburythecombustibleissuesTwainraisedinhisnovel.Thenation,aswellasTomSawyer,wasdeferringJim'

sfreedominagonizingplay.ThecyclicalattemptstoremovethenovelfromclassroomsextendJim'

scaptivityonintoeachgenerationofreaders.

（ToniMorrison,"

ThisAmazing,TroublingBook"

1999[1996]:

389）

[S]ureenough,TowSawyerhadgoneandtookallthattroubleandbothertosetafreeniggerfree!

（MarkTwain,AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,1999[1884]:

292）

TheaboveexchangebetweenthenarratorandablackpoliticalactivistnamedBrotherTarpinRalphEllison'

sInvisibleManoffersaglimpseofatragicmemento,areminderofTarp'

snineteenyearsinachaingang:

alegiron.DespiteInvisibleMan'

sprimarilypost-GreatMigrationtimeframe,Tarp'

sshackle--alinkofsteel"

thathadbeentwistedopenandforcedpartlybackintoplace"

（Ellison1965[1952]:

313）--functions,amongotherthings,asametaphorforEmancipationandforthefailureofReconstruction,aswellasforthepsychologicalimplicationsofthetwo.MarkTwain（whoseproseEllisongreatlyappreciated,recognizingitsindebtednesstoblackSouthernvernacularvoices）

（1）wroteAdventuresofHuckleberryFinninthelate1870sandearly1880s,when,inToniMorrison'

swords,"

[t]henation,aswellasTomSawyer,wasdeferringJim'

sfreedominagonizingplay"

（1999[1996]:

389）.ThisessayarguesthatHuckleberryFinn（1884）canatonelevelbereadasabookaboutshacklesofracialoppressionthatare,inthenovel'

scourse,"

twistedopenandforcedpartlybackintoplace"

atvariouslevelsoftheplotandnarration.

（2）

Toelaborate,duringHuck'

sjourneytothedeepSouth,hisAfricanAmericanfellowtravelerismuchofthetimerestrainedbothbytheshacklesofslaveryandbywhatFredrickWoodardandDonnaraeMacCannhave,inthetitleoftheir1992article,aptlytermedJim'

s"

minstrelshackles"

.Huck,inturn--despitehisapparentfreedom--isconfinedbyvariouswhiteconventionsofantebellumlife,especiallybyhissociety'

saxiomaticassumptionsofwhitesuperiorityandblackinferiority.Mostcrucially,Twain'

snarrativeisitselfshackledanddiminishedbyitsviewofAfricanAmericansasOthers.However,beingatransitionaltextwrittenbyaformer,'

desouthernized'

SouthernermarriedtoaliberalNortherner,（3）thenovelalsoclearlycontainsaneffort,albeitaflawedandunfinishedone,totranscendthelimitationsofpost-Reconstructionracismandracialism.

WhilerecognizingandlamentingTwain'

sparticipationinnegativeracialstereotyping,thisessayexaminesthetension-riddendynamicsofracialrepresentationinHuckleberryFinnbyfocusingonthenovel'

sprevalentracialhierarchies）andonthebook'

snoteworthy,thoughregrettablyincomplete,deconstructionofmeaningsconventionallyattachedtowhitenessandblacknessinnineteenth-centuryAmerica.RatherthanaimingtocontributeeithertoanuncriticalwhitewashingofTwainortoafurtherhypercanonizationofHuckleberryFinn,thisessayoffersperspectivesintendedtomaketheintellectuallyandpoliticallyresponsibleteachingofthisdifficultbook（ofwhosedifferentlayersandthreadsTwainwasnot,inmyview,infullcontrol）alittleeasier.

1.Introduction

SetintheMississippiValley"

fortyorfiftyyearsago"

asthenovel'

ssubtitledeclares,HuckleberryFinnrespondstothefailureofReconstructionbyretellingthestoryofslaveryfromthepointofviewofayoungwhiterunawaywhosefatebecomesintertwinedwiththatofanadultblackfugitive.Adarker-tonedsequeltothesunnierTheAdventuresofTomSawyer,HuckleberryFinnseemstohavebegunasanothersemi-autobiographical,fictionalizednarrativeaboutthejoysofSouthernboyhoodandaboutthecharmandspellofTwain'

sbelovedMississippiRiver.However,aftertheauthorallowedHuckandJim'

srafttopassthemouthoftheOhioRiver,andthetworunawaysstartedtodriftwherenofugitiveslaveshouldgo,Twain'

originalconceptionwasbeginning"

asJaneSmileyobserves,"

toconflictwiththeimplicationsoftheactualstory"

（1995:

356）.Inthepagesofhisownwriting,Twain'

sidealizedMississippiRiverbegantomonstrouslytransformitselfintowhatithad,inreality,signifiedforparticipantsinthedomesticslavetrade:

amajorroutetotheheartlandofracialslaveryinNorthAmerica.AtthispointTwain,infact,droppedtheprojectandputthemanuscriptasideforthreeyears;

thiswriter'

sblockseemstoimply,asSmiley（1995:

356）suggests,thatTwaindidnotknowhowtoproceedaftertherafthadfloatedbeyondthepointofnoreturnandenteredwhatforJimdenotedtheultimaterealmofterror.

Consideringthistension-riddengenealogy,whichindicatesthatHuckleberryFinnemergedoutofacuriousmixtureofunrelatedandpartlyconflictingmotives,itisnotsurprisingthatTwain'

snarrativeisatvariouslevels"

troubling"

asToniMorrisonwriteswhilecommentingon"

inher1996introductiontothenovel.Thoseinitially'

troubling'

qualitiesthataretheeasiesttodealwith（andultimatelymakeupacrucialaspectofTwain'

ssatiricalstyle）derivefromHuck'

sstatusasayoungandsomewhatunreliablenarrator.Apoorlyeducatedadolescent,Huckknowslittleabouttheworkingsofsociety,andhisperspectivesonwhatherecountsarelimitedbyhisignorance.Therathermodestdegreeofhisself-knowledgeworkstowardsthesameeffect:

forallhisbittercomplaintsaboutthewidowDouglas'

sandMissWatson'

sattemptsto'

sivilize'

him,Huckismuchmoreheavilyinfluencedbythenormsof'

sivilized'

societythanhehimselfbelievestobethecase.Ratherthangoingbravelyagainstthegrain,hecondemnshimselfforhisfriendshipwithJimand,ingeneral,for"

hisinabilitytoconformfullytothenormsofthewidowDouglasandTomSawyer,therepresentativesofconventionalantebellumlifealongtheMississippi"

（Bell1992[1985]:

130）.Ofcourse,thiscombinationofHuck'

simmaturityandunreliabilityultimatelyconstitutesoneofTwain'

smostbrilliantnarrativeinventions（modifyingtheexampleofVoltaire'

sclassicinnocentCandide,anothertraveler）:

preciselybecausethenarrator-protagonistisyoungandinexperienced,everythingthatheseeswhilefloatingdowntheriverwithJimstrikeshimasnewandpresentsanacutechallengetohisworldview.Inthefinalanalysis,thevoiceoftheadolescentboywhoseviewsofsocietygraduallychangeduringhistragicomic（muchmoretragicthancomic）OdysseandescentintotheunderworldfunctionsastheprimarymediumforTwain'

sironiccritiqueoftheslaveholdingSouth.Allthingstakenintoaccount,Huck'

snarrativeofhisadventuresservesTwain'

sprojectsofunearthingthemoralhypocrisyof'

decent'

churchgoing,andslaveholdingwhiteSouthernersandofaddressingtheperilsofslavery.

Thissaid,thetruly'

aspectsofthis'

amazing'

bookarisefromthefactthatalthoughSamuelClemensasanadultdistancedhimselffromtheproslaveryindoctrinationto