Satire is defined as the use of irony, sarcasm, or exaggeration to expose and criticize human folly or vice. Huckleberry End, by Mark Twain, is a novel that, to be fully appreciated and understood, must be considered a work of satire. Twain uses satire in an attempt to both mock aspects of society and mock the American people. "Why Twain Uses Satire". Religious hypocrisy, the need for war and pointless fighting, the cowardice of the average man. One aspect of the novel in which Twain uses satire is the idea of ​​family feuds. Midway through the novel, Huck meets young Buck Grangerford. Huck soon learns of an eternal feud between the Grangerfords and the neighboring family, the Shepherdsons. Buck explains to Huck his fierce hatred for the Shepherdson family, but also that he really doesn't know why there is a feud or how it came about. The reader discovers that the two feuding families essentially stop killing members of the opposing family. As Huck experiences firsthand a skirmish between Buck Grangerford and Harvey Shephardson, in which Buck attempts to shoot Harvey, he asks Buck what Harvey ever did. Buck responds, “Him? He never did anything to me(120).” Confused, Huck then asks why he wants to kill him. Buck responds, “Why nothing?” Only it's because of the quarrel (120). » In this case, Huck questions the logic behind such madness. He is young, but he understands that this quarrel is useless. It represents Twain's own questioning of man's preoccupation with brutality and his illusion of false honor and chivalry. Taken literally, the few Shepherdson-Grangerford scenes seem nothing more than a meaningless cameo on Twain's part, but on closer inspection we see the real motive.... . middle of paper ...... how big things you are going to do(158). » Sherburn despises the man for his inability to act courageously without the presence of a crowd or the security of anonymity. It's easy to overlook this scene as just another attack on the Southern gentleman delusion. Sherburn is a respected colonel who murders a harmless drunk in cold blood. However, upon further exploration, we realize that Twain is using Sherburn's pompous lecture on human nature to represent his own contempt for the state of humanity. He goes on to say: “A crowd does not fight with the courage that is born in it, but with the courage that it borrows from its mass and its officers (159). » Twain uses Sherbern's speech to condemn the people of Bricksville and to express Huck's disgust at their horrible behavior. While it is difficult to applaud Sherburn for the brutal murder of Boggs, it is nonetheless