We began our study of the novel, "Huck Finn" as a satire of the sentimental Romantic novels of the 19th Century and as a satire of organized religion. Nina discussed her research on the novel's allusion to Cervantes' "Don Quixote" and we discussed how both "Don Quixote" and "Huck Finn" are social satires of the picturesque and the idealized. From this juncture, we noted how Twain takes the American novel into the realm of realism through dialect and common every day characters in recognizable settings. We then examined the text to locate Twain's satire of organized religion , prayer, and common perceptions of heaven. I discussed irony and exaggeration as techniques of satire as well as the purpose of satire. Last,I noted how the use of Huck Finn, as the "innocent" undereducated narrator , provides a platform for Twain's satire and humor as Huck offers his unfiltered but keen observations of society.