An Analysis of Mark Twains Humor in The Adventures

AnAnalysisofMarkTwain’sHumorinTheAdventuresofTomSawyer杨正杰0807010123外国语学院083BriefIntroduction–MarkTwainSamuelLanghorneClemens(November30,1835–April21,1910),betterknownbyhispennameMarkTwain,wasanAmericanauthorandhumorist.Heismostnotedforhisnovels,TheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876),anditssequel,AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn(1885),thelatteroftencalledtheGreatAmericanNovel.TwaingrewupinHannibal,Missouri,whichwouldlaterprovidethesettingforHuckleberryFinnandTomSawyer.Heapprenticedwithaprinter.HealsoworkedasatypesetterandcontributedarticlestohisolderbrotherOrion'snewspaper.Heachievedgreatsuccessasawriterandpublicspeaker.Hiswitandsatireearnedpraisefromcriticsandpeers,andhewasafriendtopresidents,artists,industrialists,andEuropeanroyalty.Helackedfinancialacumen,and,thoughhemadeagreatdealofmoneyfromhiswritingsandlecturesTwainworkedhardtoensurethatallofhiscreditorswerepaidinfull,eventhoughhisbankruptcyhadrelievedhimofthelegalresponsibility.HewaslaudedasthegreatestAmericanhumoristofhisage,“andWilliamFaulknercalledTwainthefatherofAmericanliterature.BriefIntroduction–TheAdventuresofTomSawyerTheAdventuresofTomSawyerbyMarkTwainisa1876novelaboutayoungboygrowingupalongtheMississippiRiver.ThestoryissetinthetownofSt.Petersburg,inspiredbyHannibal,Missouri,whereMarkTwainlived.Intheprefaceofthisnovel,MarkTwainsaidmostoftheadventuresrecordedinthisbookreallyoccurred.Inthebook,Tom,justlikeMark'swordsacombination...ofthreeboyswhomIknew.Indeed,allthecharactersinthenovelcomerootinthereallifeofMarkTwainincountry.Tom'sauntPollycomesfromTwain'smother,andMarycomesfromTwain'ssister.Also,Twain'syoungerbrotherHenryisthemodelofSid.HuckFinn,thewidowDouglas,evenInjunJoe'smodelscouldbefoundinreallife.FromthiswecanseethatMarkTwainmakerealmaterialsandhumortogetherandhiswritingstyleoccurredandwecanseetheskillsinhisworks.TheContent1.TheArrangementofWritingSourceMaterial(WritingStyle)①.AmericanwesternHumorStylein19and20centuries2.RhetoricintheNovel①.Irony(反语)andhypocritical(夸张)②.Quirk（双关语）③.ChildrenNotPlayingCustomaryRole3.ThePsychologicalDescriptionforChildren①.LeadershipofTom–the2ndChapter②.TomandBible–the4thChapterTheArrangementofWritingSourceMaterial(WritingStyle)1.TheAmericanwesternHumorStyleinthe19thto20thcenturyMarkTwaininheritedthepopularwesternstyleofvulgarhumorinthe19thcenturyandearly20thcenturyofAmerica.Inthisstyleofhumor,hemadehisworkuniqueinparticularliterarymaterialarrangement.Inthelastparagraphsofthe5thchapter,itisthestoryofPinchBug.Theplotitselfisunremarkable,butinhiscarefuldescriptionitbecomesattractive.Itisfunnyforthespecialscenecreatedparticularlythatadogbarkedfuriouslyinthechurchwhichshouldhadbeensolemn.Theapproachwithparticularmaterialsandbizarrelinksisthesymbolofthepopularwesternstyleofvulgarhumorinthe19thcenturyandearly20thcenturyofAmerica.RhetoricintheNovel1.IronyandHyperboleTorevealthedarknessofsocietyinthattime,includingthehypocrisyofthechurchandphilistine,MarkTwainmadedetailsofcasesinironyandhyperbole.Inthe5thchapterofthisbook,MarkTwainmadedetailsofthedressingandconversationsofthepeopleinthetownwhilebeingatchurchandtheprocessofliturgy.“Andnowtheministerprayed.Agoodgenerousprayeritwasandwentintodetails…”------the5THchapterofTheAdventuresofTomSawyerInthisplot,afterenumeratingthosepeopleandgroupsprayingforhimaswellastheiralmsdeeds,theministerfinishedtheprayer.Theministerexaggerateandattitudinizeintheprayerwhichwastotallyhypocritical.“Americanhumorisfoundedlargelyonhyperbole.”2.QuirkInthe9thofthisbook,MarkTwainmadetheboysTomandHuckleberryseethemurderinthegraveyard.Thisadventurewasarealone,andbeforethisTomwasratherinnocent.EverythinghadchangedsincetheboyswitnessthemurderofDr.Robinson.Thefilthyadultsimpactedtheinnocentboys.Inthestory,Dr.Robinsonwasarespecteddoctorinthetown.Heunfoldhimselfasasordidandcontemptiblemaninthenightwhenhegotkilled.HeemployedInjunJoeandMuffPottertostealthebodyforhismedicalexperiments.Whentheysawsomepeoplewalkinginthegraveyard,theboysthoughtitwasdevil.Sofar,forthosetwoboys,devilwasthemosthorriblethingtheycanimagine.However,thedevilwasrealman.Itcouldbemuchmorehorriblethanwhatthechildrenhadimagined.Theword“devil”isaquirksaidbytheinnocentboysandMarkTwainsatirizethebehaviorofdirtytricksinsuchaway.3.ChildrenNotPlayingCustomaryRoleMarkTwainmadeaspecialtechniqueofhumorthatchildrendidwhatsupposetobeadultbusiness.Inthe6thchapterofthisbook,there’sahappymomentbetweenTomandBecky.TomshowedhislovetoBeckylikewhatadultsdotobeasadmirerofBecky.Inthisplot,TomwasinarticulatewhenfacingBeckywhowasratherbashful.WhenTomdeclaredlove,Beckyseemedkittenish,whichmadereaderssimmerwithlaughter.Inthisplot,TomandBeckyactedascharactersbywhichMarkTwainderidesloveamongadults.ThePsychologicalDescriptionforChildrenWhenwearetalkingaboutthehumorofMarkTwain,theremustbeonethingtobementionedthathemadeperfectpsychologicaldescriptionsofthecharacters,especiallyforchildreninthisnovel.HedescribedagroupofchildrenlikeTom,Huck,Becky…anddidnotjuststayinthegeneralcharacterization,butratherinaccordancewiththedevelopmentofchildren‘snature,makingit​​onchildren’spsycholo