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Huckleberry Finn Moral Development Essay

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Lawrence Kohlberg, a 20th-century psychologist principally known for his research on moral psychology and development, conferred and grouped six stages of moral development into three main groups: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. These stages focus on external, internal, and social standards with which we hold ourselves to. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck Finn, the main character, shows most of these stages of moral development as he goes on his journey. Huck shows development in his character while interacting with others and also finding out more about himself and society, as he advances from living with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas to freedom on the river with Jim, then to living with Uncle …show more content…

In Huck Finn’s case, adults who he has to escape punishment from include Miss Watson and Widow Douglas, Pap, and the King and Duke. He avoids a great deal of punishment in the beginning of the book when Pap first comes back and immediately asks Huck questions about what he's doing and asks for money. Huck immediately answers all the questions that he's able to answer and gives him all the money he has, even though he knows Pap will throw it all away on whiskey. Pap also threatens to “cowhide [him] till [he] was black and blue if [he] didn’t raise enough money for him” (21). Therefore, to avoid this punishment by Pap, Huck borrows three dollars from Judge Thatcher to give to Pap, who then ends up drunk and in jail for a week. He avoids Pap for a week just by giving him money, which he was threatened to give up anyway. However, he has to continue to borrow money from Judge Thatcher to give to Pap to avoid further punishment than what he's already getting. Another example of Huck avoiding punishment is when Pap kidnaps Huck and locks him in the cabin in the woods. Huck knows if he attempts to leave and is caught, Pap will beat him gravely, which delays Huck’s attempt to leave. He “got to thinking that if [he] could fix up some way to

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