In Mark Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, Huck’s short speech “All right, then, I’ll go to Hell” reveals his character despite being short. The expression of these words as he tears his letter to Miss Watson shows he is ready to defy the norms regardless of the social expectations. When escaping along with the enslaved Jim, the rather short words he uses when speaking to himself reveals both his beliefs and specific themes in the novel. Huck’s decision to tear his letter to Miss Watson and help Jim escape slavery reveals that he is an individual with an independent mind, beliefs, and philosophy that are contrary to the teachings of the religion and his society. Unlike most other people in the society, Huck feels prefers to betray the social norms and do what he thinks is right. Therefore, Huck decides to help Jim escape rather than turn him back to the slave master. As a white man, he is expected to follow the society’s rules and ensure that the runaway slave is returned to the owner.
Furthermore, Huck’s deviant character shows that his actions contradict his faith. As per the teachings he has received in the church as a boy, the enslaved black people like Jim are not equal humans, even though God says that everyone is equal in His eyes. The strict Christian society of the south is highly hypocritical and uses cruel principles that give white people the right to own and oppress the blacks. This is the kind of civilization the society believes it is running. But because Huck has an independent set of principles and conscience, he values his friendship with Jim more than the expectations of the society and religion. He decides to break the social rules for the sake of friendship, stating that even if this means sinning against God by “going to hell”. He also realizes that after all, Jim will be sold down the river as a slave even if he turns back to the owner.
Apart from Huck’s character, his short words, “All right, then, I’ll go to Hell” give some insights into the theme of social hypocrisy. Huck’s society in the pre-civil war era is highly hypocritical. On one side, the society is founded within strict Christian beliefs and everyone is a Christian. As per the church’s teachings, everyone is equal in the eyes of God, and so the society should be treating everyone equally. However, this is not the case because the same society entirely depends on a planation economy, which in turn relies on slavery. Black people are enslaved just because of their skin color and are treated harshly. Indeed, they are oppressed, tortured, and treated as possessions rather than humans. Indeed, this is in contrast to the Christian teachings that God loves every person without discrimination. Huck should have been punished for helping Jim escape, but he realizes his society’s hypocrisy and cruel principles and is ready to face the consequences of defying the norms.
The statement, “I had Barbara” at the end of the story “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton may appear a harmless motherly expression of love for her daughter. However, it is indeed a revelation of the extent of Mrs. Ansley’s relationship with Delphin Slade, Mrs. Slade’s husband. In fact, this is a response to Mrs. Slade argues that she was lucky as she had lived with Delphin Slade for 25 years but Mrs. Ansley only got a lover letter from him. But Mrs. Slade tells Mrs. Ansley that she has no grudge with her because after all she did not receive anything from him. But to her shock, Mrs. Ansley states “I had Barbara” as a revelation that she indeed had sexual relationship with Delphin Slade at the Colosseum that memorable night and that he was indeed the father of her daughter.
Moreover, additional evidence of this sexual scandal several years earlier comes to Mrs. Slade’s mind, which helps the reader realize the reality. Mrs. Slade realizes that Barbara’s dynamic character could not have been Horace’s biological daughter, given the “exemplary” nature of Horace. She recalls that Grace Ansley had been sick after her night seeking event and was married to Horace Ansley two months later. The revelation clears the historical anomalies as Mrs. Slade realizes that Grace Ansley was married off to Horace quickly to hide the fact that she was pregnant after sexual intercourse with Slade. Therefore, this ending captures the key theme of hypocrisy that revolves around the families in the story.
In the play Trifles, Mrs. Hale’s statement “we call it-knot it” may appear to be a genuine and honest response to Mr. Henderson. However, give the context, it appears that this is one of the many “trifles” that men in the society ignore about women and their abilities, but which is concealed. Men ignorantly think and believe that women’s issues are merely “nothings” or trifles, but which can cost them a lot. The comment suggests that Mrs. Hale something that the court does not know. From a close look, it appears that she is hiding a dead bird in her pocket, the evidence that the Attorney needs to convict Mrs. Wright of killing her husband. This suggests that Mrs. Hale’s values the freedom of women more than justice. Indeed, she is obstructing justice for the sake of Mrs. Wright’s freedom because they are both women who are affected by male chauvinisms, control, and masculinity. In essence, Mrs. Hale wants to fight this social norm in court, albeit through an injustice approach.
The women depicted in this play have not met before, but they readily form a collaboration to obstruct justice. They are well aware that Mrs. Wright killed her husband and that the only evidence the Attorney needs is the dead bird, but because of men’s ignorant view of women’s things as nothings, they hold the evidence and Mrs. Wright is about to escape justice. This finding shows that Mrs. Hale and other women are on a silent rampage to fight the oppressive men by any means and then take advantage of men’s ignorance about women to obstruct justice.
In the novel “Hands”, Wind Biddlebaum, whose real name is Adolph Myers, appears to be a highly distorted character throughout the storyline. While other people in Winesburg do not know his past, Wind Biddlebaum’s history shows that his current state of distortion is because of the suppression and frustration of his desires. Back in rural Pennsylvania, Adolph Myers was a dedicated teacher who desired to give his best to the community by educating young boys. He wished to create a society where boys are nurtured and empowered with knowledge to become leaders.
However, one of the social cords or norms in the society is that people of the same sex should not have close contact as the society will judge it negatively. In fact, this norm is evidently the cause of Myers’ frustration, which has blocked his desires and happiness in life. As he talked to boys, he would place his hands on and rub their shoulders or ruffle their hair. But this was mistakenly taken as a sexual advance by some. One boy dreamt that the teacher approached him and sexually molested him. On revealing this to his father, some parents assaulted Myers and drove him from the area. Now, he must keep his hands to himself because he does not want to face a similar fate. He appears to be frustrated and lonely because he does not want his hands to rub other people’s shoulders. Consequently, his lifetime desires were frustrated and suppressed, which made him remain distorted character in the play.
Similarly, Alice Hindman, in “Adventure” appears to have a distorted character because of the frustrations she has endured in her past life and suppression of her internal desires. It appears that in her early years with Ned Currie, she had desires as she had natural confidence and reserve. She was an individual who used logical ideas as her moral precepts. However, all these precepts and desires to be a moral and modest woman were frustrated and suppressed by the sex roles forced on her by the society. Her desires were to go with Ned to Cleveland and help him start life and marry later. But Ned, like most men in the masculine society, wanted to protect her and declined her plans. When Ned went alone to Cleveland, he completely forgot Alice as he pursued other “Alices” in other towns. Meanwhile, Alice is left to play the sex role set by the society, albeit frustrated and distorted by the suppression of her desires.
In the same way, Maggie in “Maggie, A Girl of the Streets” faces a similar situation of distortion when she is left confused by the man she loves. After Pete rescues her and starts taking care of her, she starts liking him and then falls in love with him. She desires to have him by her side throughout her life because of his tenderness and kindness. However, this is not the case because her society is full of social and economic codes or norms that block women’s happiness. Specifically, the society is masculine and women are not expected to lead the family or venture far in search of work and business opportunities. This is why Pete leaves her behind as he goes to work, which disappoints and frustrates Maggie. Soon, Pete meets Nellie, a longtime companion, and his behavior and attitudes towards Maggie shifts.
In the poem Butch’ Weldy, Butch appears to have been a strong, youthful character full of ambitions and desires in life. He appears to have been living during the industrialization era when many young American men were expected to work in the factories to earn a living and support their families. First, he says that he got the religion, which is likely to mean that he adopted the norm and went to the industries where he worked in a canning factory. During this time, he had relationships with men, especially Minerva, with whom he sires a child out of wedlock. However, his desires and ambitions are frustrated and suppressed when he is involved in an accident at the factory. Butch loses his sight and breaks his legs, thus becoming blind and no longer able to work. Because there was no respect for workers’ rights, he is not compensated and is left to beg. He ends up becoming a distorted individual because the economic system has frustrated and suppressed his desires. It is evident that his frustrations and come from the economic and social norms because men are supposed to work in factories but when they are injured, the extreme capitalistic society does not compensate.