preview

In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Huck and Jim both endure many hardships, and they struggle

Better Essays

In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Huck and Jim both endure many hardships, and they struggle daily in search of their freedom. Huck is a young free spirited boy that loves adventure and lacks the necessity of civilization; his partner in crime is Jim, a runaway slave. As Huck and Jim float down the Mississippi River they are faced with an overwhelming amount of difficult situations and circumstances. Some of the struggles that Huck and Jim experience are slavery, society, civilization, nature, and villainess behavior. Huck also has many moments where he is at unease with his conscience, and often wonders if the decisions that he is making are made with the right intentions. While Huck and Jim are on the search for their freedom, …show more content…

Hence Huck's comment “people would call me a low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum" (Twain 131) shows that his society does not tolerate those who are against slavery. Throughout the novel, Huck is forced to deal with his conscience as to whether or not assisting Jim in his escape from slavery is the right thing to do. Despite what society thought, Huck knew that his intentions were good. Huck also knew that if going to hell meant that he had to turn is back on his true friend, he would just have to go to hell. After Huck disregards the teachings of society and chooses his friend Jim over heaven, he creates his own sense of right and wrong. Huck combining, helping Jim escape slavery, with going to hell, shows readers how engrained slavery was in southern society. Understanding religion was also another struggle for Huck and he states “Miss Watson took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. So she told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it” (Twain 112). He also stated “Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks” (Twain 112). Huck is deeply bothered by Miss Watson’s comments on religion; they trouble him so badly that he goes into the woods and ponders over it. Miss Watson’s comments get the best of Huck and he decides to just forget about it. Huck does not reject religion, but his literal mindset has difficulty with beliefs that on the surface, appear to be impractical or untrue. As the story continues

Get Access