Corruption In Huck Finn

The particular motifs he uses are the abilities to be unashamed and courageous. The concept of being unabashed shows in the quote, “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble to a [African-American]; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterward, neither” (Twain 86). Huck’s realization that he is not sorry for apologizing to someone who society perceives as beneath him, becomes a major breakthrough in the story. A second quote that further portrays the motif of being unapologetic also helps support the theme that society’s views must be conquered: “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”-- and tore it up. 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 shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't.” (Twain 214). To provide context, Huck had written a letter to send to Miss Watson telling her that he had Jim. After having a moment to comprehend his actions, he reflects on the memories and moments he shared with Jim. Tearing up the letter and acknowledging that he would remain loyal to Jim, even though there is an immense pressure for him to abide by a “civilized” form of rules, displays his strength. Twain writes a final quote, symbolizing his courage, on the same page: “And for a starter, I

Through the theme of rebellion against society, Huck demonstrates the importance of thinking for oneself and embodies the idea that adults are not always right. This is highlighted in his noncompliance when it comes to learning the Bible and in the decisions he makes when it comes to Jim, decisions that prove to be both illegal and dangerous. By refusing to conform to standards he does not agree with, Huck relies on his own experiences and inner conscience when it comes to making decisions. As a result, Huck is a powerful vehicle for Mark Twain’s commentary on southern society and

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain uses Huck to demonstrate how one’s conscience is an aspect of everyday life. The decisions we make are based on what our conscience tells us which can lead us the right way or the wrong way. Huck’s deformed conscience leads him the wrong way early on in the chapters, but eventually in later chapters his sound mind sets in to guild him the rest of the way until his friend Tom Sawyer shows up. Society believes that slaves should be treated as property; Huck’s sound mind tells him that Jim is a person, a friend, and not property. Society does not agree with that thought, which also tampers with Huck’s mind telling him that he is wrong. Though Huck does not

Throughout the novel, Twain shows his contempt for corrupt human nature. Although these instances are often satirized and exaggerated, the message is still the same. For instance, when the King and the Duke first start to lie about being the dead Peter Wilks’ brothers to obtain his money, Huck says, “It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race,” (191). In this instance Twain is utilizing Huck to show his aversion to the way people lie and cheat, and how a couple of people can make a bad name for all of us. Another example is when Jim sells the King and Duke out to the townspeople and they are carried on a pole, tarred and feathered. Although Huck, has tried to escape the King and Dukes several occasions and has witnessed the cruelties put on others and lies they tell, he does not think that they deserve similar treatment. In fact, he says, “Human beings can be awful cruel to one another,” (269). Through Huck, Twain is voicing his opposition to how people treat one another, whether they deserve it or not. Thus Twain is using his novel to voice his enmity for the cruelty in human nature.

He accepts Tom's insistence of the "Spaniards," "A-rabs," "camels," and "elephants" presence at the Sunday school (227), but silently disagrees: "I judged that all that stuff was only just one of Tom Sawyer's lies" (228). Huck's passivity towards Tom is likely a result of the companionship Tom offers. Huck reports "I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead" (221) just prior to going out at night with Tom and going along with his fantasy-derived descriptions and rules for the gang (222-5). Ultimately, Tom's company is more important to Huck than honesty.

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

Mark Twain once described his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as “a struggle between a sound mind and a deformed conscience”. Throughout the novel, Huck wrestles with the disparity between his own developing morality and the twisted conscience of his society. In doing so, he becomes further distanced from society, both physically and mentally, eventually abandoning it in order to journey to the western frontier. By presenting the disgust of Huck, an outsider, at the state of society, Mark Twain is effectively able to critique the intolerance and hypocrisy of the Southern South. In doing so, Twain asserts that in order to exist as a truly moral being, one must escape from the chains of a diseased society.

Furthermore, Huck internally criticizes Jim’s talk about “saying he would steal his children—children that belonged to a man I didn’t even know; a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm,” and states that it was a “lowering of him” (16). Huck’s lack of moral development epitomizes here, as he criticizes a “n*****” for his utopian vision of a peaceful life with his family. Huck’s conscience starts to attack him in this moment as he no longer thinks about Jim as his friend and starts to acknowledge that, in reality, he’s a black person. Although it appears that Huck is moral since he helped Jim escape, Huck doesn’t disapprove of the institution of slavery; he only helped Jim because he values their friendship. This is further exemplified when Huck makes the decision to take the canoe and go tell on Jim, though he tells Jim that he will go and check if they’re in Cairo. Twain juxtaposes Jim’s two possible futures, one of freedom, and the other of enslavement, to show the influence Huck’s choice will have. When Jim calls out “‘Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck;

In this essay, Julius Lester talks about the morality of the story itself. Lester talks about how Twain wants the readers to believe certain things that are not credible or with emotions related to fiction stories. Lester mentions how the readers think that Twain is including into his story some sort of a connection between Tom and Jim, when Tom decides to help Huck to free Jim from slavery, but is not what it

Twain uses colloquial diction to convey Huck’s struggle between the values of his southern upbringing, which urge him to return Jim, and his strong friendship and loyalty with Jim, which encourage him to protect the runaway. Although Huck lacks education, Huck interprets the laws in ways that are morally sound, an interpretation that most educated people fail to understand, while they blindly accept the injustice of slavery. Throughout the novel, Twain makes use of uneducated diction and syntax to convey an ironic contrast between Huck’s ability to discern between moral and immoral actions and his lack of education.

Twain uses Huck to make decisions based on this hypocritical slave-owning, Christian lifestyle. Huck must choose to either aid a runaway slave named Jim or return him to Miss Watson, while the white society of the South would expect Huck to return Jim to Miss Watson. Huck and Jim 's friendship makes this a significant decision because Huck is morally conflicted. Jim is his friend, but he is also the property of Miss Watson. An excerpt from Magill 's Survey of American Literature puts the situation in a right perspective exclaiming “Jim is property before he is man, and Huck is deeply troubled, surprisingly, by the thought that he is going to help Jim, not only because he sees it, in part, as a robbery, but more interestingly, because he sees his cooperation as a betrayal of his obligation to the

The moral code of individuals shape their personality and contribute to the thoughts of people in society. Twain uses Jim to signify the journey Huck takes regarding his ethical values: “People would call me a low-down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum—but that don't make no difference” (Twain 43). Twain shows how Jim’s relationship to Huck makes him question what society teaches him about the lower class. When individuals encounter issues that question their ethical values, the result reassures their moral code. The decisions that people make happen for a reason. Therefore, every decision that individuals make reflect their principles. Additionally, in “Huck, Jim, and American Racial Discourse,” David Smith examines the topic of Jim’s role through the effects he has on Huck. As a moral figure, Jim allows Huck to develop his ethical values while using his own

There is a quote, at the base of the Statue of Liberty that reads; “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” This quote reflects the feeling of great opportunity many immigrants felt they would receive upon coming to America. This was also the mentality many American believed all received through our constitution's promise of; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In Mark Twain’s novel, Huckleberry Finn, the structure of the main character’s relationship with society is made to show the reader the toxicity of the Reconstruction Era showing that despite what people believed about the time period after the civil war was a lot like the period before. Par consequence of Huck Finn’s structure, the era twenty-five years later known as the Progressive Era could also be used as a location for a similar novel. The important aspects of Huck Finn that would go towards any paralleling novel, would be, the elements of a young child torn between their society and themselves, the themes of racial intolerance, and the themes of societal corruption. Like Huck Finn, this novel would be read differently by different people of different descents of the year 1900, and the people of today.

Mark Twain also demonstrates how undesirable civilized society really is. Both Huck and Jim desire freedom, which greatly contrasts the existing civilization along the river. They both turn to nature to escape from the unprincipled ways of civilization. Huck wants to escape from both the proper, cultured behavior of Miss Watson and Widow Douglas and the tyranny of his father. Jim, on the other hand, hopes to escape from slavery and start a new life as a free man, hopefully with his own family eventually. Throughout the novel, the raft enables Huck and Jim to escape from the barbarism of their society to a place of serenity and peace, which is always on their raft, away from any other people. Through the duration of the story, Huck learns and does many things that would be contrary to the beliefs of society such as helping Jim

Despite an ardent view on slavery evident through interactions with Jim, Huck’s slowly shifting view of Jim from that of ignorance to seeming acceptance expresses his ability to stray from flawed societal values to his own developed moral code of conduct. This becomes evident when Huck protects Jim from men who board his raft, by hinting he has smallpox. Although one can see this as compassion for Jim, Huck questions with racist undertones, “s’pose you done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad” (Twain 127). However, he later affirms himself to “do whatever come handiest at the time.” (Twain 127). At this point, society still influences Huck, but his statement marks his decision to detach from societal values, and eventually allows him to form his own views on Jim. This comes slowly, as Huck cannot shake free from racism.