" 'Humor,' Mark Twain once wrote while in a different mode, 'is only a fragrance, a decoration. If it is really to succeed in survival, it must surreptitiously teach and preach.' "(qtd. Howells 211). Mark Twain exposes the evil in society by satirizing the institutions of religion, education and slavery. One of Twains many techniques in writing involve his way of making a point without one knowing whether or not he is kidding. He satirizes …showed first 75 words of 905 total…

…showed last 75 words of 905 total…by society, however, many don't stop to realize that Mark Twain is making fun of the very idea of everything that was wrong with society of his day. The satire in this novel is a critical commentary on the hypocrisy in the institutions of all the above, religion, education and slavery. "That Twains oeuvre continues to provoke such interest and debate is testament to the enduring power of its satire and of its ideas." (Howells 3713)