Huckleberry Finn Themes

In the essay, “Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Matthew Hurt writes that “Jim's lecture on friendship does not elevate Jim in Huck's eyes, but rather degrades Huck to a lower position” (Hurt). Hurt’s statement further explains Huck’s humiliation towards his uncalled-for prank on Jim. Jim’s speech helps Huck realize that Jim is also a human being and that he should be more grateful and kind to him. Being a father himself, Jim assumes the role of Huck’s father and helps guide him with his morality and decisions, which includes how he treats others. Twain’s purpose of slowly progressing Jim’s character was to eventually develop him to become the hero he was meant to be.

In chapter eight Huck is delighted to find Jim camping on the island he’d been hiding on, only to be shocked when he finds out Jim had run away. Jim tells Huck how he overheard Miss Watson discussing selling him for $800 to a slave trader up in New Orleans (75) and instead of going back to town and turning Jim in, Huck invites Jim to run away with him. At first, refusing to turn Jim in could have been Huck ignoring societies laws for the sake of not outing himself as not dead like everyone believes he is, but when he makes the offer of letting Jim on the journey with him it’s him showing courage to help someone who had been kind to him in his time of staying with Miss Watson.

Originally, Huck believes that he should turn in Jim, a slave running away from being sold by Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. He does not see it as following the law, he just believes that it would be immoral for him not to turn in Jim to the cops. Huck Finn was raised to accept the idea of slavery which has been shaped by a society who accepted slavery. The pranks that Huck Finn pulled on Jim reflects Huck Finns attitude towards Jim 's intelligence. In the scene after Huck Finn and Jim get separated in the fog, Huck thinks Jim is stupid enough to believe that none of it

In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it follows the story of a young boy named Huck who goes on an adventure with a runaway slave named Jim. During this time period slaves aren’t viewed as citizens but as someone who doesn’t deserve to have any rights. However, Huck saw Jim in several other ways than him just being a slave. He saw Jim as a father figure, a slave and a friend.

     On Huck and Jim’s journey to Cairo, Jim begins to speak about when he is free he will go and find his children and take them from the slave owner. This rubbed Huck the wrong way; his standards of Jim had been lowered because, from Huck’s point of view, why would Jim steal his children away from a man who has done nothing to him? Huck’s conscience began to come into play and he had made up his mind: He was going to turn Jim in when they reach shore. He was sure of it until Jim began to sweet talk Huck, telling him that Huck was the only white man that had ever kept a promise to him. This comment went directly to Huck’s heart; he could not possibly

This quote shows Huck’s determination to save Jim, and, at the same time, illustrates how his act might look like a low business.

Huck Finn has a noticeably different mindset then the rest of the characters in the novel. Though society has pointed out what is 'wrong' and what is 'right', Huck still struggles to decide between these two forces, because what is considered right, feels wrong to him internally, and what is considered wrong, feels right. When Huck and Jim go along traveling together on the raft Huck begins to have an internal conflict on weather or not to report Jim as a runaway slave. We, ourselves see slavery as something that is wrong and immoral, but back in Huck's time period slavery was normal and anyone who helped a slave runaway was considered a criminal. Now the question stands, which one of these is morally right? The answer is both. Morality isn't judged upon logic or reason, but instead it’s determined by what the

Jim makes sure to protect Huck from the truth that could cripple his emotions, until he knows it’s a safe time to tell Huck what actually

From the beginning, Huckleberry Finn knows what society wants from him. He knows that slavery is right and needed. Also, that he should be polite, intelligent and well mannered. When he decides to run off with a slave, he knows he must turn him in because it is the right thing to do. His can never go through with turning Jim in, the slave, because in his heart it seems right and wrong, his conflicting thoughts and emotions never let him turn the slave in.. When he has a good chance to tell on the runaway he ends up doing the opposite, “They went off

In the interim of Jim’s escape, Huck and Jim become separated, but soon meet up after Huck floats back to Jim. Jim is worried for Huck, but Huck tries to take advantage of the moment by playing a prank on Jim leading him to believe that he dreams everything up, subsequently being upset. Huck regret everything he does and “[felt] so mean [he] could almost kissed [Jim’s] foot to get him to take [what Jim said] back. It was fifteen minutes before [Huck] could work [him]self up to go and humble him[self] to a nigger, but

Often times Huck found himself in a moral dilemma on whether to do what society instilled in him or to do what he thinks should be done. Huck betrayed those feelings of “what society would want” him to do in order to be a good friend to Jim, putting his own self up at risk again for Jim. Jim was being held captive by Huck’s current host and Huck, abandoning his duties of his superior race and being a good Christian, as the Widow called it Huck suddenly has an epiphany “All right then, I'll go to hell!” as he goes to “steal Jim out of slavery” (212). Seeing the situation through Huck’s perspective it gives the reader every little detail that goes into his thought process in his decision making. These types of actions were considered wrong by society at that time and place but Huck sets that all aside and does what he feels is the right thing. Most of the time Huck has to think on his feet making the decision making process even more difficult, like the time when Huck was going to give Jim up as a runaway slave. “Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on, s’pose you’d ‘a’ done right and give Jim up, would you feel better than what you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad---I’d feel just the same way I do now” (91). Even through Huck’s dialect you can see him argue with himself on what the right thing to is, but he throws out what society would do and does what his heart tells him. Through Huck arguing

From the first, Huck is willing to violate the rules of society. Jim implores Huck not to tell anyone that he has run away. "People would call me a low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum – but that don’t make no difference" (Twain 38). In the beginning, Huck doesn’t turn Jim in to the authorities for two reasons. One is that he has very little respect for the authorities. Another is that it is not convenient for him to turn Jim in. Without Jim, Huck would be alone. And he does not want to have to deal with that again; he would rather have a partner. So in the beginning, Huck does not step far beyond the views of race issues that society holds.

To many readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is known as the “Great American Novel”. It tells a story about a young boy and an escaped slave who develop an unlikely friendship while traveling down the Mississippi River. Twain explores many American literature themes in his writing. Three themes that appear frequently throughout the novel are freedom, nature, and individual conscience.

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.

Of the many themes to be found in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn one of the most prominent, and probably most important, is that of freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Samuel Clemens under the pen name of Mark Twain. Twain uses satire to point out the flaws of American society to help the readers see the great need for change. The novel is set right before the Civil War and illustrates the issues of slavery through the story of young Huckleberry Finn and his friend Jim, who is an escaping slave. They have to decide what is right and what they are willing to do to be free. The theme of freedom is shown throughout the novel using the symbol of the Mississippi river, Jim’s attempt to escape the bonds of slavery, and Huck’s desire to have the privilege of doing as he pleases.