Huckleberry Finn Moral Development

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows the development of a young boy named Huck Finn. We see Huck develop in character, attitude and maturity as he goes on his adventure down the Mississippi River. This is displayed through his search for freedom from civilization and it's beliefs and through his personal observations of a corrupt and immoral society. Most importantly, we are in Huck's head as he goes through his confusion over his supposedly immoral behavior and his acceptance that he will “go to hell” as he conquers his social beliefs.

In the beginning Huck never really knew what a true friend was, and then he went on a journey with Jim, a runaway slave. For a while, Huck has thoughts about turning in Jim and having him sent back to Miss Watson. However, he always remembers how nice Jim is to him. Huck said that he would not tell anyone that Jim had runaway and in return Jim was willing to protect and help Huck. Jim would even give up his sleep just because he wanted to let Huck continue to sleep. That was not the only thing Jim did for Huck either. When the house floated by and the two saw a body laying inside it dead, Jim went in to see what was in the house and found that it was Huck's father that was dead. Jim covered the body so Huck did not realize that his father had been killed. Through just these two actions made by Jim, Huck learns one of the most valuable life lessons: true friendship.

He has a father who is abusive as well as an alcoholic, which is why two older ladies by the names of Miss. Watson and Widow Douglas watch over and care for him. The concept of a journey to freedom is portrayed through Huck due to him leaving home as a young boy and seeking for independence. In chapter eleven, Huck dresses up as a girl to go steal food and other items from a home for Jim and himself. “My mother’s down sick, and out of money and everything…” (62). Huck lied to a woman just to steal things from her home to survive because he was running away to become free. "It didn't take me long, though, to make up my mind that these liars warn't no kings nor dukes at all..." (40). This is ironic because Huck is noticing that the King and the Duke are con men and liars, but Huck himself is just like them because he lies to people all the time to better himself and get to freedom. Huck has to go through many disadvantages as well as Jim, on their journey to

Huck, who is a child in a book, has a lot of room for development. In the beginning, he was taught to follow the rules of society like practicing Catholicism and refusing to associate with slaves. However, during Huck’s journey with Jim, he learns a valuable lesson about respecting people based on their character, despite what he was taught by Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, and Tom Sawyer. During the first few days of his journey, he pulls pranks on Jim, like attempting to trick him into thinking that getting lost in the fog was all a dream. However, later on in his journey, he refuses to follow the rules of society in order to save Jim. He even says “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” when he chooses not to tell Miss Watson Jim’s whereabouts (Twain 214). Jim in turn sees Huck as a great friend as well, thus showing how Huck is now seen as a

Although he predicts society will deem him to be "a low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum," he prefers to be shunned and to risk punishment and shame for the sake of freeing Jim (Twain 43). Clearly, Huck's fondness for Jim is evident when Huck intends to send a letter to Miss Watson returning Jim but chooses to rip it to save him instead. Huck responds, "‘I'll right, then, I'll go to hell'- and he tore it up" (Twain 214). Huck accepts his rebellious nature and terrible fate to hell as he escapes from civilized society and into a place driven by his instincts. Jim's desire for freedom puts Huck in a moral dilemma because he must decide whether to follow his innate sense of morality or the restrictive guidelines of society.

Huck Finn is naive and accepting of society's views at the beginning of the novel. He treats Jim as he is a lesser person than him because of his background. “When we was 10 foot off Tom whispered to me and wanted to jim to a tree.” This show how racist they were and what they were going to do to Jim. (Twain 7). Also he lies to his father because of what he has done to him in the past. “I haint got no money.” Huck. “Its a lie. Judge Thatcher got it. You git it. I want it.” Hucks Dad(Twain 21). This is when he lied to his dad about the money. He doesn't want his dad to get any of the money because he knows he will blow it all on alcohol. At this point in the book he is a very naive person.

In addition, when a group of boatmen came over to question Huck about runaway slaves, he lured them away by lying to them that his sick family was on the raft instead of Jim (89-90). Huck believes that it was the right thing to do, even though he knows that society is against this type of act. Huck and Jim both seem to harbor a father and son relationship, as they both look out for each other. Jim represents the moral compass in Huck’s life as Huck makes his decisions based on his feelings and not from the influence of

Huck Finn, a narcissistic and unreliable young boy, slowly morphs into a courteous figure of respect and selflessness. After Pap abducts the young and civilized Huck, Huck descends into his old habits of lies and half-truths. However, upon helping a runaway slave escape, Huck regains morality and a sense of purpose. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck lies to characters, casting the authenticity of the story into doubt but illustrating Huck’s gradual rejection of lying for himself and a shift towards lying for others.

Mark Twain of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents a main character, Huck, an orphan who grew up in an abusive home environment. Huck demonstrates his will to survive in spite of these difficulties through his mental strength and knowledge. His nature, lacking in sophistication or understanding of the world around him, allows him to effectively narrate and also receive admiration from others. Huck’s individualistic, as opposed to conformist, mentality makes him effective at conveying the story’s message.

He knows that it is right in the eyes of society to write to her of where Jim is, and he does just that. But while doing so, he comes across the realization that he sees Jim as something more than a simple runaway slave. Jim considers Huck a friend, and Huck is more than aware of this fact.

Huck also shows development into a more mature character by learning how to take care of himself. After Huck escapes from his father, Huck learns how he is going to survive; on his own. Along with the things he gathered from Pap’s cabin, Huck plans to live off of fishing and hunting. Huck grabs everything in sight, saying, “I took fish lines and matches and other things-- everything that was worth a cent. I cleaned out the place” (32). Huck knows that if he does not have enough materials, he will not survive which is why he steals items out of Pap’s cabin. Later on, two frauds, the king and the duke, join Huck’s and Jim’s raft. Huck fears what the rapscallions will do, but remains brave deciding not to tell on them so no quarrels or fights will start. Huck realizes the best way to stay out of trouble and achieve

In the famous novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain writes about the young boy named Huck. Coming from a difficult past and a slew of negative experiences and choices, though the poor choices may not have been fully Huck’s. Throughout this book, Huck is tested on his own morals and what he believes, but his character proves to be his own, independent from other influences. Huck Finn made multiple choices throughout the novel, but his past never seemed to define him, nor the people he met, and not the beliefs of others.

Huck struggles with whether it’s wrong not to tell Miss Watson about Jim, but then he remembers all their time together, and familial allegiance kicks in, so he says “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” (205). By saying this, Huck commits to being faithful towards Jim, and Huck certainly follows through with his loyalty when he tries to free Jim. Huck finds his true family with Jim because he has a sense of belonging when he’s with him and they’re both there to care for each other. So, while Huck has been going through all these other families, he’s been with his the whole

Throughout the classic novel of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain we see a lot of moral development with the main character Huckleberry Finn. Throughout the story Huck’s friendships greatly influence his moral identity. Throughout the series of events that unfold upon our main character, Huck Finn, we see huge moral leaps in the way he thinks that are influenced by that friendships he makes on his journey. He starts the book as a young minded individual with no sense morals other than what has been impressed onto him and ends up as a self empowering individual. Through the friendships he makes with Tom Sawyer, Jim, and the Duke and King we see big moral leaps with Huck.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book that captures the truth of how human nature shows how loyalty and morality intertwines with everyday people. Huck is a prime example of how someone can overlook stereotypes that are truly involved in society. Huck’s ethics help him see that even people with different colored skin deserve the right to life and to prosper without chains around their ankles. Jim, the one who Huck allowed a second chance, is so appreciative towards Huck from that moment on that he develops more then a friendship. Jim develops a strong loyalty to the young boy escaping his alcoholic father.