Huck Finn5The concept of what truth is is a dominant theme in both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Andrew Lang's essay. Lang writes that truth lies in the absence of distortion from the real world. Lang's idea of ​​truth is certainly found in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. For Twain, morality is a more important part of his concept of truth than resemblance to nature. For Andrew Lang, truth is factual, precise and objective. He admires The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as an accurate picture of the times, as if Twain was simply reflecting a picture of his world told by Huck Finn. Lang admires Twain for creating a believable and natural character in Huck Finn. He believes that in Twain's accuracy there is truth, just as there is truth in a historical document. For Mark Twain, the “quest for truth” is a quest for moral truth. Huck goes down the river with a runaway slave. The river is symbolic of Huck's moral journey; Huck goes down the river while everyone else stands still. The reader can see that Huck's unwitting journey toward the truth culminates in chapter 31. "All right, then, I'll go to hell." » (p. 210) Ironically, it is at this moment when Huck believes he is succumbing to his own wickedness that we see that he has reached the moral truth to which the river had led him. But Huck does not view his inability to accept what he has been taught and act on it as a new way of thinking; Huck is a reluctant rebel. Twain's presentation of truth here is masterful; he communicates his idea by saying the exact opposite of what he means. Twain addresses other aspects of “truth” throughout the book. Huck lies, wears disguises and schemes. During his journey toward the truth, Huck revealed himself to be a talented liar. This shows that for Twain, the idea of ​​truth is more complicated than simply telling the truth. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a masterpiece. I can agree with Andrew Lang on this point, but I cannot agree with his reasoning. Lang considers Huckleberry Finn to be “a vivid and original picture of life…”. . . naturally displayed. . . possible and plausible. "All of this is true, but I believe it is Twain's strong use of irony in his presentation of the truth, and the tension between what Huck has learned and his instinctive good nature that makes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and extremely well done novel.