Episode-MG

One theme of __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__ is alcoholism. Mark Twain critiques this aspect of society throughout the novel. Twain conveys his message against alcoholism mainly through Huck's father, Pap. Pap is a rowdy, bigoted, uneducated, dangerous alcoholic, and represents the epitome of evil.

One night, Pap comes home after a refreshing nap in the gutter, fuming about how Judge Thatcher won't give him Huck's riches and cursing the whole town, then gloating over how the widow will never find Huck, even if she wins legal custody. Around dinner time, Pap gets buzzed, and starts ranting about the government trying to take away his custody of Huck and keeping Huck's money from him. He goes on to say how disgusted he is that a successful black college professor was allowed to vote. He states that he protests black voting rights by, ironically, not voting. Eventually, he drinks so much whiskey that he begins to hallucinate, screaming first that snakes are attacking him, then that the dead are coming for him. After cowering for a minute, he jumps up and starts to chase Huck with a knife, calling Huck the "Angel of Death" and saying that he'll kill Huck so he can't come for him anymore. Eventually, Pap tires and rests, saying that he'll kill Huck later. After realizing his father has fallen asleep, Huck grabs their rifle and holds it on him the whole night.

This episode satirizes the danger of alcoholism in society. Excessive drinking can impair one's judgment, and cause him or her to act irresponsibly, posing a major hazard to themselves and those around them. As with most satire in this novel, this episode of a man hallucinating that his own son is the Grim Reaper and trying to kill him is an extreme example. Still, it accurately portrays how alcohol's affects on someone's behavior can be a major threat to those present.

In the episode, The impairment of Pap's coordination helps Huck get away with his life. But alcohol's negative affects on coordination can and often do cause a situation to become more dangerous or harmful. Someone who is intoxicated while swimming is much more likely to drown than a sober person, and people operating heavy vehicles or machinery (such as cars, boats, and cranes) pose a major threat to the safety of those in the vicinity.

Pap's senseless, ironic complaints are used to show how illogical Pap really is. Pap believes that he has gone through the trouble of raising Huck so that Huck will do something in return, like Huck is some kind of investment rather than a human being. His racist beliefs seem unsubstantiated, and the fact that the black man he complains about is intelligent and successful further counters his white supremacist beliefs. All of this helps reinforce Pap's status as the quintessence of evil in the book.