Intro into Regionalism

Regionalism

Regionalism is a literary era that accurately represent the speech, manners, habits, history, folklore, and beliefs of people in specific geographic areas. It focuses on a major concept of local color which details mannerisms and behavior of places across time. As time progressed, many events caused social changes which had an impact on the local color. Especially in the south in the 19th century, with the end of the Civil War and growing Industrialization, made the south experienced change from the norm as with forced labor and work methods. Although these events helped changed society, it did not necessarily change the local color with the populace. Though the civil war was over and LEGALLY slavery was abolished, many people still harbored feelings of resentment towards opposite color. Meaning that although they the populace was on mostly on equal terms in regards to freedom, it still did the change the thoughts between races. Even that problem still persist on towards today even, societal changes in the 19th century served as a first step towards changes in local color.

In the 19th century, regionalism was conveyed on multiple platforms. One things was through its language which Mark Twain expressed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the book Huckleberry Finn and Jim embark on an adventure to escape societal norms and achieve freedom in accordance to their beliefs. Huck Finn, inquisitive young boy represents the human personification of change in local color where he questions the resentment between whites and blacks. While Jim represents the sentiment of white Americans before the war. He also highlights the dehumanization that African American population felt before the Civil War. Through Twain ideas, he showcases changes in local color by contrasting southern societal norms to the relationship between Huck and Jim.