Yuen M. Ho
English 48B
February 2, 2007
Journal #20 Mark Twain

I. Quote

“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.”

II. Summary

This quote, which is found at the beginning of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, states that there is no motive, moral or plot in the story. Mark Twain asks readers not to attempt to find theses elements while reading the story.

III. Response

By making such a funny declaration and placing it at the very beginning of the story, Twain has demonstrated to us his humor. By common sense, it is not difficult for readers to conjecture that there is always a plot, motive or moral to a story; without them, there will be no meaning to reading the story or the “story” should not and cannot be called a story at all. Thus, this statement looks like an evil wink from Mark Twain signaling to us that the story is not as simple as it appears to be.

By declaring the story to bear no meaning, Twain could escape from any blame or responsibility by the implication of his story—which was possible to invoke rebukes and condemnations.

Nevertheless, due to his claim, a question may also linger in readers’ minds, especially when readers finish the ending. They may wonder if Mark Twain knew what he was implying by this story, or that he genuinely wished to write a simple story about a slave. While we can never get a definite answer about this question, such a high-sounding claim makes me think the otherwise.