馬克吐溫的幽默在當年屢屢被指為「失敬」而飽受批評：媒體撻伐他在惠提 爾（John Greenleaf Whittier）的七十壽宴上侮辱新英格蘭文壇，康科德（Concord） 的公立圖書館也認為《赫克歷險記》鼓勵青少年的失序行為而將它列為禁書。這 些事業上的挫折證明權力關係影響幽默的感受，吐溫也將這些心得寫入他的小 說，藉由書中不懂幽默的角色和失敗的玩笑來呈現他的觀點。 本文藉由三個面向切入小說的相關情節：社會學家將玩笑分為「下對上」 （joking up）和「上對下」（joking down）的差異；畢立格（Michael Billig）的 「非笑」（unlaughter）定義；以及拉特（Eric Lott）主張低俗鬧劇的幽默包容下 層階級卻挑釁上層階級。馬戲團章節描繪下對上的玩笑雖然引致上位者的非笑， 後者的不悅卻成為取樂的對象。但是包格司（Boggs）的死證明非笑隱含著致命 的暴力。濃霧一章則可見吐溫對於上對下的玩笑不以為然，非笑更成為低階者的 利器。這些小說情節足以證明吐溫深刻瞭解人際關係決定幽默的運作，使得《赫 克歷險記》不只是一本幽默小說，更是一本探討幽默的小說。吐溫自己的事業起 伏也證實階級與種族之間的權力關係同樣影響了觀眾與讀者對於幽默作家的觀感。

Mark Twain repeatedly ran into trouble in his humorist career because of his irreverence: the media decried his Whittier dinner speech for his disrespect toward the New England literary establishment, and the Concord Public Library banned Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for encouraging impertinent behavior in teenage boys. These critics evidence how power relations underlie the perception of humor, which Twain was fully aware of as he plotted his masterpiece, especially when depicting the stern reactions of the characters to jests and pranks. This paper makes use of the sociologists’ differentiation between joking up and joking down, Michael Billig’s notion of “unlaughter,” and Eric Lott’s ideas of defiance towards elite classes cloaked in sympathetic mockery of the underclass to facilitate the discussion of power relations in joking situations. Close analysis of the circus episode exemplifies how unlaughter caused by joking up becomes the subject of further ridicule. The shooting of Boggs, on the other hand, showcases the violence of unlaughter. The fog scene shows Twain’s scruples about joking down and his use of unlaughter as empowerment for the underprivileged. Together they highlight Twain’s understanding of the interpersonal effects of joking, making Huckleberry Finn not only a book of humor but also a book on humor. Meanwhile, the setbacks in Twain’s own career prove that the power relations between the classes and the races in the real world likewise affect the audience’s reception of humor.