Huck’s Moral Dilemma
The Progression of Huckleberry Finn as a Character The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes us on a journey with the titular character Huck and an escaped slave, Jim. Coming from less than humble beginnings, Huck must overcome obstacles that no normal boy his age must face. Huck is an orphaned boy with an absent, abusive father and no mother to speak of. He is taken in by his friend Tom Sawyer’s guardian, the Widow Douglas, and the Widow’s sister Miss Watson, who takes it upon herself to civilize him. Huck progresses throughout the novel, not in civility through society’s standards, but in moral civility. Huck’s moral journey is like that of his and Jim’s journey down the river; as they advance down the river, Huck progresses with his morality, and as they face difficulties in their journey, Huck as well faces obstacles that test his moral judgement. The beginning of the novel shows the lack of moral fiber that Huckleberry Finn has obtained over the course of his life. Even though it is evident that Huck has more of a conscience than Tom Sawyer, he still shows his lack of a strong conscience by offering Miss Watson to Tom’s gang just so that he is allowed to play with them (C. Twain 135). After the return of Pap Finn, Huck’s drunken, abusive father, Pap kidnaps
…show more content…
Huck tells Tom of his plan to free Jim, and to Huck’s surprise, Tom wants to help. Instead of simply freeing Jim, Tom turns it into a game, and Huck regresses back to his former self in being simply a follower of Tom. They torment Jim, along with Silas and Sally Phelps, by releasing rats and snakes simply for the fun of it. Eventually, they finally free Jim, only for Tom to reveal that Miss Watson had passed away months ago, freeing Jim (273-307). Even though Huck makes questionable choices by going along with Tom’s games, he still has a good motive in trying to rescue
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is considered one of the most influential works in American literature. During the novel, two characters, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, run away from civilization to pursue adventure. Both characters come from humble roots; Huck Finn is a juvenile delinquent, and Jim, a runaway slave. Throughout their journey, Jim serves as a mentor and a friend to Huck. Together, the two brave the lawless environment of the early 19th-century South. As the story progresses, Huck matures from a delinquent child into a young man with a set of morals. In the essay “The Role of Jim in Huckleberry Finn,” Frances Brownell asserts that Jim is the key to Huck’s character development and moral growth. Brownell’s argument
Miss Watson and the Widow “took me[Huck]for her son” as an attempt to “sivilize”(Twain 1) cleanse him show the social and religious reforms of the society imposed on Huck. The attempt to civilize Huck as a means to conform and change his unbiased clarity confirms that society is what silently corrupts the innocent minds of children. However, not being excessively shaped by the pressures of society, Huck experiences episodic moral dilemmas of deciding what is right for the society or what is right for his personal conscience. Helping Jim, a runaway slave, escape into free land is outlawed during the pre-Civil War time period, but after Huck had promised to not alert the authorities of Jim’s whereabouts, their adventure through the islands and down the river on the raft commenced, strengthening their relationship shown through Huck expressing how he believed Jim is free: “it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom... because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free” (Twain 88). If it were not for their secured connection, Huck would have abandoned Jim to venture off in solitude; however, guilty conscience would have revealed the moral dilemma of his morals conflicting with the moral standard enforced by society.
The relationship between Huckleberry Finn and Jim are central to Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Huck's relationships with individual characters are unique in their own way; however, his relationship with Jim is one that is ever changing and sincere. As a poor, uneducated boy, Huck distrusts the morals and intentions of the society that treats him as an outcast and fails to protect him from abuse. The uneasiness about society, and his growing relationship with Jim, leads Huck to question many of the teachings that he has received, especially concerning race and slavery. Twain makes it evident that Huck is a young boy who comes from the lowest levels of white society. Huck's father, Pap, is a drunk who disappears for
Mark Twain’s novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” written in 1884 has become a classic in American literature. One of the main reasons it is a classic is because of the development of the characters in the novel, and especially the development of the protagonist Huckleberry Finn. Huck provides the most noticeable change in a character, hence the title of the novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. Huck is a troubled young boy with a drunkard father and a non-existent mother. He could almost be described as an orphan. Huck is a boy that wants to be free, and to some extent he is carefree, but in no way, is he trouble free. Huckleberry Finn faces challenges and develops to become a more caring and mature boy throughout the novel but has to
Moral Growth in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Moral transformation takes place in individuals who challenge conventional institutions and ways of thought. Mark Twain demonstrates such a statement in his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in which the main character, Huck, is an embodiment of moral development. As the story progresses, Huck’s relationships and friendships significantly affect his moral identity. His established relationships throughout the story—a runaway slave Jim, the notorious troublemaker Tom Sawyer, and two other troublemakers, the Duke and the King—present readers with concrete evidence that signify his transformative personality.
Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, certain characters help influence the development of Huck’s morality immensely. For instance, Jim gave Huck a sense of loyalty and respect, Meanwhile Huck’s father and the con men Huck encountered allowed him to see how not to treat others and what not to value. With all these influences weighing on Huck, he was able to progressively learn how to choose between the rights and wrongs amongst the decisions made by himself and others around him. Huck’s moral development as a character is mostly credited to himself in learning how to analyze situations and people in his life and deciding whether or not they keep strong values and morality.
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a historical fiction novel set in the 1830s-1840s, before the American Civil War. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s main character is a young boy named Huckleberry Finn—better referred to as Huck. Huck is being raised in a society built upon the idea of white supremacy through the idea of slave labor. Huck teams up with the runaway slave—Jim—on Jackson’s Island after faking his own death in order to escape from his father. After meeting up, Huck and Jim travel by raft on the Mississippi River while having to deal with challenges on the way, including those wishing to return Jim to his owner—Miss. Watson—for reward money. Against all odds, Huck and Jim become friends and another’s only
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck sailed down the Mississippi river with a runaway slave named Jim. Throughout their journey, Huck and Jim encountered a plethora of crazy, drunk, or immoral people. Huck came across many controversial situations where he had to decide whether he would act in accordance with societal norms or act based upon his own moral judgement.
A misconception in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the appearance of the character of Huck Finn as a harsh, heartless and morally corrupt young man. In any case, as Mark Twain's novel continues, and more is uncovered about Huck's identity, one can see that there is a whole other world to him then meets the eye. All through the entire book, Huck Finn has been battling against his heart, and his conscience, which has been ruined by the corrupt morality of the period of history in which he was raised. We see Huck as someone who does not question the immorality, slavery and abuse around him. But we cannot blame Huck Finn and we continue on looking for the movement of the moral compass in Huck.
In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a variety of people influence Huck’s ideology. From the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson’s religious rhetoric to Pap’s brutal, uncivilized manner, many contrasting ideas shape Huck’s belief system. However, among these people, Tom Sawyer holds the greatest impact over Huck’s actions and mentality because of Huck’s immense admiration for him. Huck’s initial encounters with Tom Sawyer establish Tom as a major component of the ideology Huck maintains throughout his journey. Despite Huck’s skepticism and confusion about Tom’s imaginative schemes, Huck regards Tom’s judgements as the truth and follows all of Tom’s plans.
In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain follows protagonist, Huck Finn throughout his endeavors. This coming of age story displays Huck’s actions that lead to him running away from home. From a young age, Huck is forced to become emotionally and physically autonomous due to his father’s alcoholism. Huck runs away and begins his adventure with fugitive slave, Jim. Together they meet a diverse range of individuals and families. Mark Twain illustrates Huck Finn’s character development by exposing him to different moral systems.
On several occasions throughout the novel, Huck is faced with making moral decisions on his part, but meant life or death for his friend Jim. One of the most significant moments in this novel, was when Huck decides to write a letter to Miss Watson, telling her where to find her runaway slave. Huck made the decision of not sending it, because it would have in no way benefited his friend Jim who was also trying to get his family back. “Miss Watson your runaway nigger Jim is down here two miles below pikesville and Mr. Phelps has got him and he will give
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is about a boy who runs away from his abusive and racist father, Pap and befriends Jim, a runaway slave. We see everything through the perspective of Huckleberry Finn, an outlier in society and a child. As their friendship develops, Huck becomes more like his own person, breaking away from the rules society ingrained in him. He must decide whether is conscience or morality is right. The people Huck meets on his journey are representations of the different types of people in society. The audience gets to see how everyone and everything contributes to how society functions.
Over time as people grow and learn new things, they develop morally. Mark Twain did not write The “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” just to entertain children with a story about a boy who goes on countless adventures. He wrote it to teach his audience a valuable life lesson. One question that may arise when pondering over this theme of Morality is How does Mark Twain show the development of Huck Finn’s moral in the novel, which other characters and what kind of techniques does he use to achieve his goal. The Widow Douglass is a large part of Huck’s development in the way he perceives religion. Jim teaches Huck what a true friendship is on their journey on the Mississippi River when he cares for him. Although Huck lives an independent life, nevertheless his morals, from the start of the novel, significantly changed by the end of novel, because of Twain’s skillful demonstration of moral development of Huck through his perception.
The moral development of Huckleberry Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is constant. As the novel progresses there are many situations and examples of Huck’s moral development as his journey goes on. Huck struggles to decipher between right and wrong when it comes to protecting Jim, leaving his father, and dealing with the con-men. Huckleberry Finn is faced with the decision of agreeing with society's views on african americans or treating Jim as a real human being. Huck has spent his entire life being raised to believe african americans are less important than others and was constantly submerged in the culture of slavery.