Subversion by deception: The myth of the Trickster in Huckleberry Finn

Abstract

In the novel Huckleberry Finn (1885), by Mark Twain fantasy and reality shape the plot. Based on this statement, this article aims at analyzying how the presence of the myth of the trickster in Huckleberry Finn acts as an critical instrument by Mark Twain in relation to the southern society of the United States of America at the end of the nineteenth century. To such purpose it will be shown first how the historical and cultural characteristics of the American southern promote a fantastic reading of its reality. In the next moment it will be seen how elements of the myth of the trickster presented in Huckleberry Finn are used by Mark Twain to expose the social conditions of his time.

Key words: North-american literature - Huckleberry Finn - Trickster