Violence and greed are common in everyday life. One is constantly surrounded by greed and violence, but this is not new. Violence and greed have been around since the beginning of time. They are the reasons for war, death, and many other of humanities problems. They are what motivate many people. Therefore, they have also always been common themes in literature. The destruction caused by these two forces leads to many conflicts in literature. In Mark Twain's Huck Finn, Huck is constantly surrounded by greed and violence from most of the people he comes in contact with. Huck Finn was and continues to be a debated novel, but many also think it has strongly influenced American literature. Ernest Hemingway, a famous author who wrote Moby Dick once said, "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since (boondocksnet.com)." The Adventures of Huck Finn is also popular because of it's unconventionality. The story, unlike any before it, is an autobiographical novel written through the eyes of a young, poor, uneducated boy. This made the novel one of a kind and truly a masterpiece for it's era. Finally, this popular, debated novel is that way because it explores the undesirable human traits that every man possesses. Violence, greed, and racism are the driving forces in this influential novel. .
Violence is a common theme early on in Huck Finn. Beginning at chapter four, when Huck's father reenters Huck's life, Huck is placed in a violent situation. Huck's father, Pap, drinks heavily and abuses Huck. He locks Huck in his cabin, and Huck is seriously neglected. However, Huck does not feel upset. He never liked living at the Widow Douglas's, and even though the Widow tried to get custody of Huck, she couldn't. Therefore, Huck stays with his father, and to him this is only a different bad situation, not any worse or any better than before.
