When Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, the typical American family was "perfect": the mother ran the house, the father worked and provided for the family. At that time, a nuclear family, in which a child had a mother and father married and living together, was not uncommon. But today, that is not the case. Marriages and relationships are awash with divorce, discord, and general undisguised difficulties. In the 19th century, if a marriage encountered problems – whether it was drunkenness, adultery, financial difficulties, etc. – they were kept secret. Reputation proceeded to personal conflicts. Mark Twain takes a very modernized and realistic approach to family identity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, highlighting legitimate issues that are prevalent in many families. Through Twain's stark contrast between Huck Finn's upbringing with his father and the widow, Jim's influence as a father figure, and the very different maturity levels of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, Twain questions the ideals of the 19th century nuclear family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Twain begins his critique of the idea of ​​family with an exposition of Huck Finn's genetic family. Huck's father, a violent drunk, threatens to beat his own son if he gets an education, accusing Huck of thinking he is better than his father. As Twain wrote, "'...I'll sleep for you, my smart one; and if I catch you about that school, I'll tan you good." (Douain 142). This in itself challenges the idea of ​​a decent family. The idea that a father would be willing to beat a child to get an education transcends any notion of injustice. An honest father, in 1884 and today, would support a child's willingness to learn – one would hope. By making the main character, Huck Finn, a child raised in a broken home, Twain embraces the very essence of realism. Twain does not glorify Huck's upbringing in any way, but rather he highlights, in great detail, that not everyone has a perfect childhood; an idea largely ignored in the late 19th century. Because Huck was raised caring not only for himself, but also for his father, he has an unerring grip on reality and responsibility. The reader sees this often, whether it is Huck's willingness to kill his father during his father's drunken rant (Twain 148), Huck's attempt to save the men from shipwreck on the river (Twain 174 -176), Huck's honesty toward Mary Jane (Twain 245), or Huck's loyalty toward Jim (Twain 262). It can be inferred that without Huck's damaged childhood, his deep sense of right and wrong would be greatly diminished. Twain continues his criticism with Huck Finn's adoptive family: the widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. Twain analyzes the opposite end of the family spectrum with the widow and Miss Watson. The widow, who wanted nothing more than to “civilize” Huck, only succeeded in pushing him away by being too authoritarian (Twain 132). Likewise, his sister, Miss Watson, who wanted Huck to be a good Christian, completely scared Huck away from the idea of ​​religion with her oppressive teaching (Twain 132). Unlike Huck's father, a pagan drunk, the widow and Miss Watson smothered Huck with ideals of morality and decency. While the widow and Miss Watson seem to fit the idea of ​​a “perfect family,” Huck himself becomes the defector from the norm in this case. Huck Finn, a fourteen-year-old child, only wanted to be a child. He wanted to be free. The idea of ​​a child fleeing paternal influence andseeking freedom of thought and action went far beyond the ideals of the 19th century. Once again, Twain embraces realism in describing a character who has human needs and desires; a human character who wants to find his own way. Twain also continues the idea that family does not end in blood. When Huck Finn fakes his death and runs away, he meets Jim, the Widow Douglas' runaway slave on Jackson's Island (Twain 156). As the two begin to travel together, Jim becomes more of a fatherly or parental figure to Huck than any other person Huck encounters. As the story progresses, Twain defines the relationship between Huck and Jim, and the reader sees that Jim truly cares about Huck and vice versa. Huck and Jim, who are completely unrelated by blood, become close in a way that transcends racial boundaries and can only be described as familial. Twain brings these two characters together not only to take a racial stand, but also to prove that fatherly love can be found beyond the genetic family. Time and again, Jim worries for Huck's safety and even tries to prevent Huck from seeing his deceased father on the river (Twain 161, 309). What's compelling, furthermore, is that Jim found a relationship with Huck without being forced. It wasn't as if Jim's master had forced him to be Huck's caretaker: his parental responsibility to Huck had simply been chosen. What's even more compelling, however, is that Huck let Jim take on the parental and friendship responsibilities. This relationship becomes clear when Huck and Jim reunite after the quarrel. As Twain writes on page 201, "It was Jim's voice - nothing had ever sounded so good before. I walked along the bank a little and got on board, and Jim caught me and hugged me, he was so happy to see me." Rather than assuming the privileged identity of a white southern kid, Huck Finn has begun to view Jim as nothing more than a friend or companion by the end of the story. The idea that a man, let alone an African American, unrelated to a child could fulfill the duties of fatherhood far exceeds the social norms of a 19th century family. Finally, Twain questions the need for a normal, cohesive family. by describing the differences in maturity between Huck Finn, who grew up in a broken family, and Tom Sawyer, who grew up in a united and happy family. Tom Sawyer, who grew up with an education and was loved by many siblings and his Aunt Polly, is incredibly book-savvy and educated, but greatly lacks common knowledge about the world. On the other hand, Huck Finn, who grew up uneducated in a broken home, is firmly grounded in reality and possesses a deep sense of right and wrong. Considering Huck to be extremely sensible without any parental influence, Twain implies that a cohesive family is virtually useless in raising a child; a very modern concept that diminishes the 19th century ideal of a normal family. He also pursues the idea that common sense is more important than literary intelligence. At the end of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this idea is reiterated when Huck and Tom attempt to free Jim. While Huck simply wants to free Jim by stealing the key to his cell, Tom devises an elaborate and very dangerous plan that almost kills him and fails to achieve the goal of freeing Jim (Twain 273). This parody of a rescue mission, of course, is brought about by Tom's romantic fascination with the stories of the books he reads. Huck's maturity far exceeds Tom's, and it can be inferred that this is primarily due to Huck's experiences in the real world - experiences that Tom never has.