The Function of Social Satire in Mark Twain’s "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Innocents Abroad"

Abstract

This paper focuses on the use of social satire in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Innocents Abroad. The main goal of the paper is to show how Twain satirizes the dominant religion, as much as the satire of culture and race. The paper analyzes and discusses passages from the books, at the same time providing quotes from the texts and critical quotes which were subjected to a descriptive and exploratory analysis. The conclusion points out the authors’ playfulness and deliberate naivety as a means in satirizing social standards.