Huck Finn Essay: Vilolence
...r and stop his inebriated rant. Murder is a very permanent solution to such a very temporary problem. Not only is Boggs murder uncalled for, but so is the town’s reaction. Sherburn needs to be jailed, not lynched. Mark Twain makes a special point in criticizing the mob and the violence they usually demonstrate through Sherburn’s speech from his porch top. Sherburn points out that most people are just cowards and just go with the crowd, usually “caught in the moment”, and do not really want to cause anyone any harm. Furthermore, Sherburn’s violence against Boggs is not just unnecessary but it is also uncivilized. Human beings do not kill one another because the other is being a nuisance. Yet, violence of any kind can be considered uncivilized because humans have the ability to reason and do not need to sink to such barbaric actions. Mark Twain demonstrates this through Huck’s horrified reaction to the situation. Besides Boggs murder, there are several other examples of uncivilized violence. The tar and feathering of the Duke and King can be considered uncivilized also. The King and the Duke were con artists that had been traveling with Huck down the Mississippi River, and would put on an act at each city they came across and make enough money to get them to the next. Finally though, enraged citizens from a previous town catch up with the King and Duke and tar and feather them. The King and Duke’s punishment is very uncivilized, as they had committed no crime in that particular town. Furthermore, stealing is not a crime that should be punishable by death, no matter how much was stolen. Tar and feathering itself is uncivilized and especially cruel as torture is a practice of savages, and is also extremely unnecessary. Besides being savage and needless, the Duke and King’s tar and featherings did not solve anything. The money the King and Duke swindled out of people was not returned and the King and Duke were not convicted, but only punished. An even better example of violence not being a solution would be the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. Huck runs into the Grangerfords and stays with them. Thro...