The Integrity and Strength of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Throughout the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the main character, Huck goes through major changes. The story is set before the Civil War in the South. Huck is a child with an abusive father who kidnaps him from, Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, the people he was living with. He eventually escapes from his father and finds Jim, Miss Watson’s runaway slave. As Huck travels with Jim, Huck begins to realize that Jim is more than a piece of property. During the travel down the river, Huck makes many decisions that reflect his belief that Jim deserves the same rights he has. Because of these realizations, Huck chooses to do the right thing in many instances. Some of these instances where Huck does the right thing instead of society’s

worker.  At one point, Huck wants to get away from his father so he comes

Oppression has been a problem in this country, dating all the way back to the Europeans traveling to the New World, and forcing themselves on the Native’s and famously the British oppression of the thirteen colonies. Oppression is still a serious problem today, with almost all minorities, such as women, African-Americans, and the LGBT community feeling it’s pressure. Although these groups have gained seen many changes in their freedom, they are still being oppressed. Oppression is a common theme throughout American Literature, weaving in and out of many that are seen as classic American novels and poetry. Some of these books include Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the poetry of Langston Hughes, Richard Wright’s Native Son and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. The form of oppression that is evident throughout all these works, is racial oppression, and narrowing it down even further, the oppression of African Americans.

A work of literature can be read by ten different people, and it will be understood ten different ways; Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is no exception. At the end of the novel, Tom reveals his plans for the “evasion” which is relatively immoral, but Tom and Huck would never know whether it was or was not. In addition to its blind cruelty, it is misleading in that it seems as if it is meant to be interpreted, which is one reason why it is constantly critiqued. Another reason it is hotly debated is due to its contextual inconsistency and the potential underlying meanings of those anomalies. The multiple possibilities it opens up to the reader can be interpreted in a variety ways and has been by many literary critics. By using the commentary made on the “evasion” by literary critics, and through examples drawn from the novel itself, it will become evident that Twain did not write the “evasion” for any consistent reason, other than to fit the inconsistency of his novel.

In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the protagonist, Huck Finn, witnesses the flawed society of 1883. Huck meets Jim, an african-american slave, and they run away together to escape Huck’s abusive father and haunting past. Huck’s morals tend to be whatever is easiest for him, and how he could get around doing hard tasks. Huck may seem as though he is fixed on his own ideas but as the reader goes through Huck’s adventure they learn that his morals change. Although, at the beginning of the novel Huck’s morals tend to be self-centered, ultimately his morals have changed because he puts JIm before himself and realizes the wrongdoing of others.

Huck Finn knows that he made a promise and he values that above all else. Earlier on Huck made a promise with Tom Sawyer and the rest of their gang in which they swore on their families lives, but in this promise he is being forced contradict society and go against what he has been taught his entire life. Huck is supposed to be a rebel and and go against the ideas and beliefs of civilization, but no one, not even the most individualistic of us all, can avoid the manipulation of society. Society’s influence is insidious and it has very clearly shaped Huck’s ethics, as he remarks that an abolitionist is one of the worst insults to be called. The influence of society is

Mississippi River in the fog. All of a sudden, they see a ferry boat and Huck

In “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, Huck has a struggle between his conscience and his good heart, and the heart wins in a surprising twist. However, this victory comes about because of outside factors. Huck’s experiences with Jim throughout the book influence his decision making and his eventual decision to trust his heart rather than his conscience.

The Controversy of Huck Finn Since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in January of 1885, it has been a source of great debate and controversy. Some people regard it as one of the greatest works of American literature. Others view it as coarse and racist because of its frequent use of racial stereotypes and the 219 uses of the n-word.

In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the freedom to choose whether to act morally or not plays a key role in the character development and story progression. Huckleberry Finn is an adolescent boy who grows up in Antebellum Missouri, and thus, surrounded by slaves, which forces him to adopt certain racial attitudes that he battles with throughout the book. In escaping from society down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave named Jim, Huck encounters various types of people in situations that force him to take an honest look at how he deals with confrontations regarding truth. Huck has a tendency to act unethically when under pressure, but through periodic carefully made decisions to act morally, he demonstrates the freedom

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.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious.

In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the young protagonist Huckleberry Finn runs away from his abusive father with Jim, a black slave. Throughout the novel, Huck encounters people that fail to understand the injustice of slavery and violence, despite their education. Although Huck lacks any substantial education, his moral values and judgment are highly developed. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses uneducated, colloquial diction and deliberate syntax to provide ironic contrast between Huck’s rudimentary level of education and profound use of moral judgment.

Many people have heard or read the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What most do not know is that this particular book has been challenged for various reasons. Some go into depth about the reason why it should be challenged while others seem to only focus on the surface. The main reasons why The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a challenged book is because of its use of the “n” word and that it is racists.

One component of these chapters that I felt was extremely prevalent was the character development of Huck. There were multiple instances when Huck had to make certain decisions that would effect him in the long run, and with most of those decisions came a moral struggle. It seemed as if within these chapters, Huck is trying to find out who he truly is as a person. One example of these moments is in chapter 16 when he is having an internal battle, trying to convince himself that helping Jim gain his freedom is in fact the right thing to do. The quote reads, “I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way. It got to troubling me so I couldn't rest; I couldn't stay still in one place…I tried to make out to myself that I warn't to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner” (Pg. 87). In the quote stated above you can clearly see the internal struggle that Huck goes through, trying to find himself along the way. He looks at the situation with 2 different perspectives, one of them being that taking Jim to gain his freedom is immoral and the wrong thing to do, the other being taking Jim to gain his freedom is the right thing to do. Although Jim knows that either way he will feel guilty but he ends up choosing to take Jim's side because of his loyalty. Jim shows his appreciation to Huck by saying things like, "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim”(Pg. 92), causing Huck