Huckleberry Finn - Thesis

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.

Mark Twain is well known for writing fantastic characters in his novels. His characters possess remarkable characteristics which teach us many life lessons. In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses Huck’s resourcefulness, kindness, and humility to illustrate the theme of finding one’s true self. Huck learns resourcefulness in this novel.

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.

These chapters establish components of Huck’s self that others hope to influence: his emotions, his intelligence, his fiscal responsibility, his spirituality, his social self, and his physical health and habits. To what and whom does Huck conform and when/how does he reject conformity in these chapters?

Huck is a free spirit who finds socially acceptable actions to be restrictive and unbearable. This is demonstrated after Huck and his best friend Tom Sawyer find a large amount of money. The Widow Douglas adopts Huck. With Widow Douglas, Huck feels as though society's values and norms

A boring lifestyle is never appealing to an imaginative child. In Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Tom is a young child who dreams of an exciting and adventurous life outside his small town. Although while his dreams become more and more ambitious so does his reality. The sudden change in events soon begin to change Tom’s life. As Tom’s small town attracts a criminal everything Tom wishes for begins to come true only in a corrupt way that he never imagined. With all new to keep up with Tom is forced to mature and develop as a character along with those around by leaving behind his childish games and accepting reality. Twain uses character development in Tom and Huck Finn to create unique and special characters.

Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn we are taken through what life was truly like back in the 1880’s. We discern through the eyes of a young 13 year old trying to find himself and develop his own opinion. We meet his unlikely friends and acquaintances and receive a glimpse of how he was affected. We are taken through his tough childhood and how this affects his life further into the novel and how he is able to overcome the obstacles that come his way. Though sometimes the authenticity and honor of Huck is challenged, there are facts in the novel that if looked at closely, there are aspects of Huck and others that make him an honorable character. Huck has developed into his own person giving him traits that made him by far the best teller of this story.

Huck was already apart of many societies, but, when he went on his journey, he became a better person when he began hanging out with Jim and Tom, instead of pap.

Huck’s Moral Strength’s and Changes in Morality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn English 10: American Literature Caitlin Foht November 21, 2014 Growing up and maturing is a natural involvement that every single individual acquaints themselves with at one point or another in their duration of life. We establish skills and lifelong habits that we may not have been cognizant of during the previous years of living. Everyone looks forward to a point in their lives where they can look back and see how much they have matured and even think about all of the immature decisions that they have made in the past. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, a 13 year old

A strong focus in the novel is Huck’s desire for adventure. Adventure plays such an enormous role in our modern society, with the huge quantity of action movies, a large focus on fast-paced, exciting commercials, and an enormous market for

Most of them serve as negative influences on Huck, taking advantage of him for their own selfish purposes. However, some of these figures teach Huck principles and morals to live by, and give important values needed to make proper decisions. In addition the fact that Jim is an African American but yet taught Huck more moral values than any

“The situation of the orphan is truly the worst, you’re a child, powerless, with no protectors or guides. It’s the most vulnerable position you can be in, to see someone overcome those odds tells us something about the human spirit. They are often depicted as the kindest or most clever of characters.” Michelle Boisseau describes how important these types of characters are. In a Sunday Times article, she states that a lot of the stories and novels are considered to be apologues about orphans becoming the hero of the book. Huck’s story is quite like this subject. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel written by Mark Twain, it’s about a boy named Huckleberry Finn, who sets

My chosen role model is my mother. My mother has worked as a full time Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) for over 30 years. She started working when she was 16 and is still working today. As a child she went through some tough times and would sit me down and tell me about all of these horror stories of her childhood. She told me about time when her parents were so poor that they had to eat canned food to survive. Her family always had gardens and farms because they were so poor. She describes that experience as hard but definitely an eye opener. She told me stories about how she was never allowed to participate in activities at school and often had to skip school in order to go to work to help feed the family.

.” (Twain, ix) He openly and firstly acknowledges the irregularities in this story and explains that it is not on a whim that he uses this specific type of language but with the purpose to expose the world to a new and original form of literary design. The main character in this story is Huckleberry Finn, the complete opposite of a traditional European hero; he is not the typical king or nobleman that traditional stories tell of. He is an everyday boy uneducated and seemingly unworthy, Huckleberry Finn is the epitome of a real American every day hero. Mr. Twain writes this book as a way to show that just by simply maturing and growing up so that Huckleberry Finn can make the right decisions in all aspects of his life; it makes him a noble character. “We are asked to trust this not as a sport, but rather as a well-considered and well-honed document. . . We are invited to experience and to appreciate this narrative in terms of its thought, its thoughtfulness, and its craft.” (Fertel, 159 –Free and Easy”)

A role model is a person who inspires and encourages us to strive for greatness, live to our fullest potential, and see the best in ourselves. A role model is someone we admire and someone we inspire to be like. Most kids of today pick their role models from who they see on TV. Role models are a large part of everyone’s lives. Every person is looking for something different when searching for the best role model for them. But who makes a good model? The celebrities that kids are looking up to are adults that partake in adult and illegal behavior such as partying, drinking, and drugs that lead into violence. Would you consider that a good role model material? Celebrities should not be looked up to as role models.