Colonel Grangerford And The Education Of His Sons In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
Monica Student
English 11, Period 7
December 15, 2009
The Clothes Make the Man: Colonel Grangerford and the Education of His Sons in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be read as a series of smaller stories tied together by themes of racism and hypocrisy perceived by Mark Twain in late nineteenth century Southern culture. One of these smaller stories takes place at the Grangerford plantation, where the reader is introduced to Colonel Grangerford and his three sons: Buck, Bob and Tom. The Grangerford family serves as an allegory meant to show Southern readers both the horror and the futility of hatred and violence. TSIn the Grangerford home, the feud with the Shepherdsons is kept alive by the authority of Colonel Grangerford. As the father of a typically male-dominated Southern family, he sets the moral compass for them. CDHuck tells the reader that “every day of [the colonel’s] life he put on a clean shirt and a full suit from head to foot made out of linen so white it hurt your eyes to look at it.” (p. 140) CMColonel Grangerford’s “clean” shirt projects the idea that he …show more content…
CM Buck desperately wants to murder Shephersons, even though he doesn’t know the reasons behind his family’s feud. What makes the situation sadder is that he seems to respect his enemies’ courage and unity, two of his family’s core virtues, and defends them to Huck. CD“There ain't a coward amongst them Shepherdsons,” Buck says, “not a one.” (p. 145) His father’s corrupt teaching has left Buck unable to recognize when he is acting immorally. When Buck fails to correctly spell the name “George Jackson”, he also demonstrates his academic shortcomings. CSTwain does this to show that even though Colonel Grangerford has enough money to educate Buck, he shields his son from the classroom to maintain control over what he
English 11, Period 7
December 15, 2009
The Clothes Make the Man: Colonel Grangerford and the Education of His Sons in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be read as a series of smaller stories tied together by themes of racism and hypocrisy perceived by Mark Twain in late nineteenth century Southern culture. One of these smaller stories takes place at the Grangerford plantation, where the reader is introduced to Colonel Grangerford and his three sons: Buck, Bob and Tom. The Grangerford family serves as an allegory meant to show Southern readers both the horror and the futility of hatred and violence. TSIn the Grangerford home, the feud with the Shepherdsons is kept alive by the authority of Colonel Grangerford. As the father of a typically male-dominated Southern family, he sets the moral compass for them. CDHuck tells the reader that “every day of [the colonel’s] life he put on a clean shirt and a full suit from head to foot made out of linen so white it hurt your eyes to look at it.” (p. 140) CMColonel Grangerford’s “clean” shirt projects the idea that he …show more content…
CM Buck desperately wants to murder Shephersons, even though he doesn’t know the reasons behind his family’s feud. What makes the situation sadder is that he seems to respect his enemies’ courage and unity, two of his family’s core virtues, and defends them to Huck. CD“There ain't a coward amongst them Shepherdsons,” Buck says, “not a one.” (p. 145) His father’s corrupt teaching has left Buck unable to recognize when he is acting immorally. When Buck fails to correctly spell the name “George Jackson”, he also demonstrates his academic shortcomings. CSTwain does this to show that even though Colonel Grangerford has enough money to educate Buck, he shields his son from the classroom to maintain control over what he