Archetypes In Huckleberry Finn

Twain does not let the reader thing badly of Huck for very long, though, having Huck?s true voice shine out by the end of the confrontation. By page 67 Huck is almost loathing to go and turn Jim in, seeing the act as an obligation rather than a moral right. He says, "Well, I just felt sick. But I says, I got to do it-I can?t get out of it." Twain wants the reader to see Huck?s change in judgment. The reader is able to see Huck?s newfound reluctance, brought on by Jim?s words of appreciation. These words bring Huck back to the realization that Jim is a friend, not property. And

He constantly found himself battling on whether to help Jim or turn him in, which would be more sociably acceptable. But as Huck befriended him, he came to realize that Jim was more like him than he previously assumed. And after witnessing Jim's emotional outburst concerning his daughter, Huck thought that Jim "cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so" (Twain 117). But this goes against everything he would have been taught to support slavery. One of the rationales behind slavery is that black people aren't humans, but "animals"/"savages". But by Twain showing Jim as having emotions that even a white person can identify with, he displays how the conception that blacks are emotionless animals is untrue. And later on, when he once again struggles with turning in Jim, Huck's actions sheds light on how cruel slavery is and the worth of a black persons life. He came to the decision that he would even risk going to hell to set Jim free, as he stated "All right, then, Ill go to hell" (Twain 162). After experiencing how Jim treated him and how much he acted like a normal "white person" would, Huck was able to realize that Jim's life was equally as valuable as his own and that forced labor would be injustice. Additionally, Twain used Jim's actions in contrast to characters such as the king, Duke, and Pap to further prove his

A timeless classic about the adventure of a young boy floating down the Mississippi River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a satire on established attitudes and values, particularly racism. Set at an easy reading level, this novel tells the epic adventure every young boy wishes he had. Not just Huck Finn’s coming of age story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is much more than what meets the eye. Peeled back layer by layer, it reveals messages that many overlook while reading. In particular, the significance of the run away slave, Jim, is undermined by many who read it. Jim has become one of the most controversial characters in American literature. Although, he is depicted as simple and trusting, maybe too trusting, Jim’s qualities

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain utilizes the archetypes of the Unwilling Hero, the Shape Shifter, and Haven vs. Wilderness to show that Huck Finn and Jim can find freedom all along the banks of the Mississippi River.  Huck portrays the unwilling hero because he puts a lot of thought into something before he does it, even though it will benefit everybody.  He is also very hesitant to perform heroic acts.  The King and Duke show the archetype of the shape shifter because they are constantly lying about their identities and deceiving everybody.  The Mississippi represents the characters “haven”, and Huck and Jim’s home represents the “wilderness”.

Having been born in a predominantly southern value based environment, Huck Finn grows up accepting the idea of slavery being a vital and ordinary establishment. It was how the southern culture worked and it took a whole war to change that mindset. Huck was torn between the cultural influences that he was raised on and his inner personal morals. Even with the southern culture he found his conscience telling him otherwise. Miss Watson and the Widow try to give Huck a proper education, and teach him manners of a civilized person. When all of the drama and influence drive Huck to confusion he decides running away before his father beats him to death is how to conquer the situation. These events cause Huck to only trust his personal judgement which affects the decisions he makes throughout the rest of the book. Somehow Huck looks past the threats of aiding a runaway slave and decides to help and even become friends with him. Helping Jim is a much larger deal than the author, Mark Twain, makes it out to be. It was not only against the law but also against southerners morals to help a

Even though Huck forms a friendship with Jim, his upbringing almost pushes him to betray his new friend. Huck decides not to turn Jim in, but is left feeling “...bad and low, because [he] knowed very well [he] had done wrong” (Twain 127). Even though he knows he is betraying society, he also realizes that he would not be happy either way. Huck asks himself, “‘...s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad-I’d feel just the same way I do now’” (127). While Huck may believe that he is not man enough to betray Jim, he is actually “child enough to follow his natural impulses” (Martin 108). Despite society teaching Huck that a slave like Jim is inherently inferior, this scene marks the moment where questioning enhances his sound heart, so that it can begin to conquer his deformed

One component of these chapters that I felt was extremely prevalent was the character development of Huck. There were multiple instances when Huck had to make certain decisions that would effect him in the long run, and with most of those decisions came a moral struggle. It seemed as if within these chapters, Huck is trying to find out who he truly is as a person. One example of these moments is in chapter 16 when he is having an internal battle, trying to convince himself that helping Jim gain his freedom is in fact the right thing to do. The quote reads, “I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way. It got to troubling me so I couldn't rest; I couldn't stay still in one place…I tried to make out to myself that I warn't to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner” (Pg. 87). In the quote stated above you can clearly see the internal struggle that Huck goes through, trying to find himself along the way. He looks at the situation with 2 different perspectives, one of them being that taking Jim to gain his freedom is immoral and the wrong thing to do, the other being taking Jim to gain his freedom is the right thing to do. Although Jim knows that either way he will feel guilty but he ends up choosing to take Jim's side because of his loyalty. Jim shows his appreciation to Huck by saying things like, "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim”(Pg. 92), causing Huck

In the beginning of the novel Huck, a white boy, plays tricks on Jim, a slave, symbolizing that Huck had no respect for slaves and blacks. As the novel progresses, Huck starts to see Jim as a human rather than property, which makes the book interesting, because of Huck’s change in morals. For instance chapter 31 he was questioning whether he should turn Jim in “ It would get around, that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I ever see anybody from that town, I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame.”(199, Twain). Although Huck feels that it is his duty to help Jim, he questions his own intentions many time. Throughout the novel, Huck struggles between what he thinks is morally right and what society tells him is right.

Having each escape from prejudice faced in their daily lives (Pap for Huck and slavery for Jim), the duo were able to put their old lives behind them and mark the start of a relationship that would traverse into dangerous territory for both parties. The bonds between Huck and Jim began to parallel that of a father and son. Jim served as a guide and protector for Huck, especially seen when confronted with a horrific situation by shielding him away to preserve the young’s innocence. ”De man ain’t asleep-he’s dead, You hold still-I’ll go en see...“Come in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face – it’s too gashly. I didn’t look at him at all. Jim throwed some old rags over him…” (Chapter 9, page 61-62). The development of their relationship continued when Huck lost Jim. After losing each other in the fog, Huck became overwhelmed at this new prospect until the two were reunited. Huck had found a new family within Jim, and with each adventure down the river, new obstacles tested the relationship between the two. “All right, then, I’ll go to hell. It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming… I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again...” (Chapter 31, page 222). Huck’s willfulness to sacrifice himself for Jim proves a substantial development to

A difficult moral situation is presented to Huck that has no option which completely satisfies his conscience after he discovers the Phelps farm purchased Jim. Huck is afraid of the social repercussions he might face for his previous actions with Jim if he notifies Ms. Watson about Jim’s location. On the other hand, Huck has pity for Jim if he were to be detached from Huck. Huck disregards the social consequences he may face and attempts to reunite with Jim anyway. His decision goes against the way he was nurtured as a boy, showing an ability to think individually even if his opinion is unpopular. Huck’s decision to help Jim is courageous because it opposes the racially discriminatory qualities and unethical morals Huck developed as a

As they are around each other more, both Huck and Jim get acquainted with the valuable qualities present in each other’s character and accept one another as adopted family members. Huck does view Jim as a less-than-equal slave and feels justified to exploit Jim’s gullibility and simplicity for his own entertainment. With each new joke or trick he plays on Jim, Huck is struck with an increasing sense of shame and penitence for what he has done, gradually acquiring an understanding of Jim’s equality and value as a human being and father figure. Huck’s sense of logic and fairness, it seems right to help Jim. He becomes sympathetic and he makes friends with Jim then he finds out Miss Watson wants to sell Jim to the plantation down the river.

In the novel, individual conscience plays a big role on the lives of the characters. Throughout the novel, Jim and Huck help each other to find their true identities through their journey down the river, although they are both very different, in social class, race, and view on society and the world, they are able to form a father-son relationship in which Huck is able to mature and grow his conscience. Jim is able to mold Huck’s conscience into the way it should be, not the way society wants it should be. Mark Twain uses Huck in the novel to the reader that when it comes to friendship, race should never be an issue, and that individual conscience is far more important than society’s opinion. Jim forces Huck to take a closer look at the

There are many stories of archetypal heroes and their hero’s journey throughout the history of literature. However, few of those stories tell as critical and powerful of a story as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the narrative The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the character Huckleberry (“Huck”) Finn goes on a hero’s journey, starting with his leave from home, to his learnings of the world with his mentor, to his figuring out of what is right and wrong, and finally to his final journey before normalcy, showing the theme of how friendship transcends superficial differences in the process.

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is widely considered a classic - an embodiment of American literature. It rightfully tackles the issue of slavery through the illustration and vernacular of the young protagonist, Huck Finn and his adventures with a runaway slave, Jim. However, beneath a linear challenge towards slavery, Twain’s depiction of Huck’s changing views of Jim reveal Huck’s unique attitude and philosophy towards slavery, and in particular - his partner-in-“crime” - Jim. Although Huck never abandons societal opinions of slavery and never opposes the bondage, his exception for Jim unveils the follies of his society and flawed upbringing.

The following paper will briefly show arguments, and conclusions within the writings of Mark Twain’s story Huckleberry Finn. I will discuss the various themes that Mark Twain is bringing to light within his story. This paper will show how Mark Twain uses those themes within the story, and how they are specifically used. I will also briefly discuss the life of Samuel Clemons, the author known as Mark Twain, and give the reasoning behind choosing the name of Mark Twain when writing his novels. Themes of escapism will be discussed.