Sarah L. Conlin 9 February 2007 English 3564 Instructor Dr. Schwetman A Mississippi Marvel Col. Grangerford was a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family. He was well born, as the saying is, and that's as much in a man as it is in a horse, so the Widow Douglas said, and nobody ever denied that she was of the first aristocracy in our town; and pap he always said it, too, though he warn't no more quality than a mudcat, himself. Col. Grangerford was very tall and very slim, and had a darkishpaly complexion, not a sign of red in it anywheres; he was cleanshaved every morning, all over his thin face, and he had the thinnest kind of lips, and the thinnest kind of nostrils, and a high nose, and heavy eyebrows, and the blackest kind of eyes, sunk so deep back that they seemed like they was looking out of caverns at you, as you may say. (Mark Twain, The Adventures of <a href="/keyword/huckleberry-finn/" >huckleberry finn</a> . The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume C, P. 292) A first impression can be crucial to the mind of a young child. When recalling specific people, their demeanors, and their families, it is significant to note what words are used and how they are brought about. Although the preceding passage seems to exist for descriptive and evocative purposes only, Mark Twain makes it poignant by effectively using three literary devices: narrator's point of view, diction, and theme. Regarding the placement of the text within the novel itself, it is important to realize that <a href="/keyword/huckleberry-finn/" >huckleberry finn</a> is in the Conlin 2 middle of a long and perilous journey down the Mississippi River. The events that unravel are quite episodic in that they are a series of short stories put together to make one exciting expedition. <a href="/keyword/huckleberry-finn/" >huckleberry finn</a> is a boy that endures complicated circumstances beyond many his own age, not to mention those much older. As he passes these hurdles in his life, he comes out having more knowledge and morals than he did before. Mark Twain knew exactly what he wanted to achieve by placing Huck in the first person point of view. This thirteenyearold boy is both wise and na ve at the very same time, the basic definition of picaresque. When he is describing Col. Grangerford the reader can read his words and know he is speaking the truth. &quot;Col. Grangerford was a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family.&quot; The beginning of this excerpt uses Huck's honest voice when presenting the Grangerford family. It is obvious when He chooses to keep the truth from the reader, as he straight out tells us in chapter XVIII, &quot;I ain't agoing to tell all that happened&quot; (Twain, 298). Huck's instinctual trust and distrust shows that Col. Grangerford and his family are going to be caring and protective while Huck is among them. As the reader watches Huck comeofage within the novel, the words flow particularly smoothly due to the wide variety of diction. Conlin 3 A recurring affect in The Adventures of <a href="/keyword/huckleberry-finn/" >huckleberry finn</a> is the author's clever use of diction. In the previous passage, Twain describes the Colonel by using the words &quot;thin,&quot; &quot;slim,&quot; and &quot;tall,&quot; portraying a very dignified, towering figure. The detail of this striking character is brought into view when Huck goes as far as discussing the shaving habits, &quot;cleanshaved every morning, all over his thin face.&quot; With this particular word choice, it shows that Col. Grangerford takes pride in himself and the way he wants to be depicted. When Huck defines the fine details in Grangerford's eyes, there seems to be a bit of foreshadowing. This is evident when taking in the entire description, as he has a very positive portrayal until Huck reaches the eyes: &quot;heavy eyebrows, and the blackest kind of eyes, sunk so deep back that they seemed like they was looking out of caverns at you.&quot; By these words, it appears that Col. Grangerford is concealing something. Black eyes, to some, may seem a bit extreme when the secret that is being held is revealed. It is dangerous that the Grangerford's are stuck in a thirtyyear feud, but by having Huck claim that the eyes are black and sunken far back within his head, it seems as if there is something more that Twain is not telling us. It is noteworthy also to discuss the specific pronunciation and enunciation of Huckleberry in this scene. Throughout the novel, Huck uses a dialect that illustrates an uneducated Conlin 4 person. When looking closely at this section, however, Huck seems to lose much of his more southern drawl. He uses only a few words that stick out as incorrect in the grammatical sense of language, such as &quot;warn't&quot; and &quot;anywheres,&quot; but when looking at the rest of the description there is a lack of Huck's commonly poor syntax. When words are cleverly placed, effects such as theme are seen much more clearly by readers. There is a poignant theme overlying this excerpt, being the conflict Huck has between civilization and &quot;natural life.&quot; Although Huck has not been with the Widow or Pap for quite some time now, he still brings them up. Col. Grangerford leads a civilized life with a nice home and pious family. Huck seems to be content with this, yet he relates the Colonel to what the Widow Douglas has instilled in him. Also, by noting that the Widow's words are more valued than Pap's, Twain shows that Huck is beginning gain his independence by realizing what Pap is really worth: &quot;pap he always said it, too, though he warn't no more quality than a mudcat.&quot; Huck gains great strides here by using his own knowledge and education to realize that he is important. This shows he believes that he has qualities worth taking into consideration. Huck is a continuously growing character. Conlin 5 The analyzed quotation is questionable when looked at within the context of the novel. Mark Twain seems to lose some of his withstanding characteristics of the novel when he comes to Col. Grangerford and his family. The description of this new man is effortless as the author efficiently incorporates the narrator's point of view, diction, and theme. Twain's particular writing style is unique to The Adventures of <a href="/keyword/huckleberry-finn/" >huckleberry finn</a> and the time period that he wrote the novel in. Without this bildungsroman, it is debatable to say that our modern culture could have ever been the same. Work Cited Twain, Mark. The Adventures of <a href="/keyword/huckleberry-finn/" >huckleberry finn</a> . The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volume C. Sixth Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003. Pp. 219407.