Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary
The man that could be identified as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a pen named Mark Twain, left an impact in American literature. His sarcasm, satire, and observations are still appreciated by readers, more than one hundred years after the death of the author. This article is at the very core of Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary and discusses how the latter impacted his writing as well as the culture of America.
This paper will discuss the origins of Twain’s satirical voice with particular emphasis on the narrative technique, irony, and humor.
Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary did not start at any one time out of the blue. Biographical information surrounding his early life as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River and his sojourns out West do much towards helping to form his outlook on life. These early leanings helped him to get acquainted with a wide circle of characters and situations, starting with which he will create works.
His experience as a journalist sort of developed his propensity to observe people and circumstances and look for the funny side in everything. He honed his capacity to notice the ridiculous aspects of people’s actions and their ability to entertain contradictions of everyday etiquette. This would prove to be good groundwork for him as he moved to become a novelist and also a lecturer.
Humor as a Vehicle for Truth
One of the most is the fact that Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary knows how to employ laughter as a tool for making people see the side they would rather avoid. Twain knew that applied to humor, people were easier to teach lessons on society that would otherwise be bitter to hear.
For instance, in the novel “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn,” Twain utilizes the puerile voice of the protagonist Huck to lampoon racism and slavery. The comedy arising from Huck’s thoughts makes readers discuss these issues with a sense that someone wants them to change, thus making them realize those institutions are immoral.
Skewering social hypocrisy
Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary very much pointed his pen at the vices or vices he observed within American society. He was especially keen on exploring what was called ‘the gap’ between the rhetoric of the people and their deeds. This is perhaps well illustrated in “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” where Twain lampoons the self-professed purity of a townsfolk.
It would be wrong to assume that Twain only targeted small towns in America, however. He did this with equal ease, whether attacking the larger institutions of state, religion, and media. One of his satires, “To the Person Sitting in Darkness,” is a strict piece against imperialism from America.
The Power of Vernacular
Another exciting characteristic of Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary was his decision to write in ordinary language. Through using the colloquial language of his characters, Twain introduced realism into the literature of the United States as well as making an impact on the growth of American writing. Though this extended his literary works to a wider audience, it also became in and of itself a social critique of society’s conventional reading culture.
A fine example of the use of dialect in the ’Adventures of Huckleberry Finn‘ is another use of this technique. As Twain writes Huck and Jim as individuals with their own voices, apart from the caricatured images of stereotypes, Twain not only develops interesting characters but also gives hints of the class and race question in the United States in the last decade of the nineteenth century.
Study of Twain’s Remark on Humor in America
It will be seen that the effect of Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary is not confined to his own productions. What he did had an impact on generations of American humorists and satirists who came after he did his work. While political comedians such as Jon Oliver of “The Daily Show” or current stand-up comedians, Mark Twain, live on through his followers who used humor to address society’s ills.
By combining laughter and sharp social commentary into one, Twain has set the precedent for future writers and comedians to safely explore topics of comedy and controversy. Through his work, he showed that comedy could be meaningful, and so we still see many stand-up comics take their positions and tell jokes, which make people laugh while at the same time delivering a message in their joke.
The Vulgar Side Of Twain’s Comedy
It should however be noted that his later movies Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary were focused on the lighter side of life; some of the films he produced and directed were a lot darker. Later in his life, Twain’s humor was much harsher, and he was very much a skeptic regarding the essence of human character.
Stoires like “The Mysterious Stranger” show a side of Twain very different from the down-to-Earth humor of his early years. Demonstrating this change in Twain’s writing style, one can argue that there is so much more to this author and social satirist than laughter and jokes.
Conclusion
Mark Twains Humor and Social Commentary can still pose similar effects in the same way as they were during the author’s time. He kept faith with employing humor as a weapon to drive home social injustices and human vices, which is a quality that still encourages writers and performers. Through Twain through his words and actions the importance of humor as a literary tool cannot be underestimated and more to the point, humor as a sleight to the status quo cannot be dismissed either.
They are struggling with the same social questions Twain addressed in his work racism, political corruption, social inequality, etc. but we are still the society that needs the reflective mirror and the comic angle Twain has provided in his work. Thus, once again, Mark Twain has left behind both a comedy and a tragedy but far more important, a reminder of how to be funny while being earnest about one’s troubles.
FAQs
Which of Mark Twain’s works is a satirical piece?
Opinions used, although some regard “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as Twain’s symbolic racism and slavery lampoon on America’s bigotry.
Was Mark Twain’s humor as good or bad for him as it was for the rest of us?
Yes, Twain was not shy to make jokes and to address taboo issues, some of which got him in trouble. Some of these writings that he published within this period include his anti-imperialist writings, which were not very Palatable at a time when America had emerged as a global imperialism.