Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 8. Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 28)

Studies - Gabriella Varró: The Adventures of the Minstrel Sign in Mark Twain 's Huckleberry Finn

arouse one's dozing humane instincts to activity. It was the mild domestic slavery, not the brutal plantation article. Cruelties were very rare and exceedingly and wholesomely unpopular" —, writes Twain in his Autobiography (30). This might be the reason why, reflected through Huck Finn's great moral dilemmas regarding the acknowledgement of Jim's humanity and his natural right for freedom, we indeed witness Twain's innate humanism and his received paternalistic Southern perspective battling against each other. In this brief analysis of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , I will attempt to find answers to the following questions. [1.] To what extent and at what points can we see the intervention of the minstrel tradition in Twain's authorial world? [2.] What is the result of the fact that Twain lived inside the world of the minstrel shows, and was familiar with the strategies, methods, and world view applied therein? [3.] Does Twain provide an evaluation or interpretation for the posterity with respect to this theatrical tradition that he knew so well? [4.] Does his interpretation ever reach the level of criticism, and if so, can he present it objectively? Let us first take a closer look at those elements of blackface which are incorporated into the novel, and examine how Twain applies these in the construction of his tale. Huck Finn , which Twain wrote through almost a decade with intermissions, was published in 1884. This was the age when the "Negro" minstrel show reached the peak of its popularity in America. By the 1870s minstrel companies had achieved unequalled success, and were touring the entire country. "Meanwhile," as Eric Lott noted, "the new phenomenon of the "Tom show" —dramatic blackface productions of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin [...]—was emerging to displace and reorient the minstrel tradition" (129). The entire American nation was captivated and spellbound by the minstrel shows. Thus it is no surprise that Twain's text is also interwoven by the expressions, social and cultural vision disseminated by the shows. Anthony Berret, for instance, interprets the novel's thematic layers, style and strategies as well as its entire structure as being affected by the minstrel influence. The hypothesis, namely that the novel is constructed along the tripartite arrangement of the classic minstrel show, will be demonstrated here 265

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