Huck’s Struggle Between Morals
In the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, the protagonist, Huck, undergoes a series of developmental changes in his character. He is often torn between the ideas of society and those of his friends. This can all be very confusing for a boy who is about 14 years old. Huck also has a drunken father who doesn’t care at all for him. Huck is then forced to live with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Throughout the story, we see Huck represent the morals of the innocent prevailing over those of society. In his “adventures,” he learns the meaning of true friendship and what’s really important in life.
In the story, Huck makes the decision to escape from his “family.” This is a decision that goes against the morals of Huck’s society, church, and state. Children aren’t supposed to run away from their parents. Also, his decision to help Jim escape goes against the same morals. In his “adventurous” escape down the Mississippi, he begins to feel truly free. This is a feeling that is acutely contrasted with society’s “oppression” of freedom, especially when he is on land.
In Jim’s and Huck’s escape, they are able to build their trust and friendship for each other. However, at the same time, he must leave behind society’s ways… getting “civilized,” money, and “family.” Along Jim’s and Huck’s “adventure,” they have many conversations along the way. These conversations consist of their freedom, money, and superstition. In the story, they both have their own opinions about various things, like Solomon. “‘Well, but he was the wisest man, anyway; because the widow she told me so, her own self.'” “I don’t care what the widow says, he wasn’t a wise man either. He has some of the dad-fetchedest ways I ever see. Do you know about that child that he was going to chop in two?” “Yes, the widow told me all about it.” “Well, then! Wasn’t that the beatenest notion in the world? You just take a look at it a minute. There’s the stump, there- that’s one of the women! Here’s you- that’s the other one; I’m Solomon; and this dollar bill is the child. Both of you claim it. What do I do? Do I shine around among the neighbors and find out which one of you the bill belongs to, and hand it over to the right one, all safe and sound, the way that anybody that had any gumption would? No; I take and whack the bill in two, and give half of it to you, and the other to the other women. That’s the way Solomon was going to do with the child. Now I want to ask you; what’s the use of that half a bill?-can’t buy nothing with it. And what use is half a child? I wouldn’t give a darn for a million of them.'”
As you can see from this dialogue between them, they had a distinct contrast in thinking. Huckleberry, being the young and innocent boy, believesand conforms to the ideas of Miss Watson and others of the dominant whitesociety. Huck would believe just about anything that comes out of a whiteperson’s mouth, and argue it against the words of a “nigger. ” Jim on the otherhand was much older and a lot smarter, for he could think for himself. Jimknows better than to go with the ideas and beliefs of society, which are wrong.
Such a conversation leads to a very strong point made by Twain in its own irony;the story shows of how the white people are dominant over the blacks, but yetthey couldn’t think for themselves. Whereas, on the other hand, the oppressed “niggers” are thinking things through using logic, instead of simply conformingto what others think. Jim later goes on to talk about superstition, whichtotally goes against the society in which Huck was raised. “God” was thealmighty and made everything and controlled everything; that’s what Huck wasraised to believe.
However, on the other hand, Jim was able to not correspondto the ways of the church, but made his own beliefs. Jim even had ideas aboutsigns and stuff. “‘Ef you got hairy arms en a hairy breas”, it’s a sign dat you’s a-gwyne to be rich. Well, dey’s some use in a sign like dat, ‘kase it’s sofur ahead. You see, maybe you’s go to be po’ a long time fust,en so youmight git discourage’ en kill yo’sef ‘f you didn’t know by de sign dat you gwyneto be rich bymeby.
“”Have you got hiary arms and a hairy breast, Jim?””What’s de use to ax dat question? Don’t you see I has?””Well, are you rich?””No, but I ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich ag’in. Wunst I hadfoteen dollars, but I tuck to specalat’n’, en got busted out. “Huck was more easily convinced about Jim’s story this time, because therewere no “white” signs like it. He had no argument from his society that saidotherwise, so he believed Jim. This conversation shows the vulnerability of ayouth with innocence. Such a youth takes on the beliefs of others and defendsthem as his own.
Furthermore, if there had been an even more ridiculous storyacquired from the words of a white man, Huck would in no way have believed Jim. Such actions of a “whiteboy” shows the assumptive and gullible attitudes of avery conforming society. In conclusion, Huck’s “adventure” was filled with many decisions, decisionswhich were very revealing to the reader of the attitudes of the time. He showedus many good decisions against the morals of society, such as escaping from hispappy, escaping the ideas of society to start new ones of his own, and to leavethe worries of money behind him. However, at the same time, he makes baddecisions against his society. Huck had left his “family” and avoided getting “sivilized.
” In his quest for true “freedom,” Huck was able to grow considerablyand mature, yet, he was still not mature enough to formulate ideas of his own. Nonetheless, no matter how Huck’s ideas and morals change, he will always remaina true friend to Jim. Adventurous or not, this book was great in showing thatthe white’s weren’t always right and blacks could also be great in many respects. In the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, theprotagonist, Huck, undergoes a series of developmental changes in his character. He is often torn between the ideas of society and those of his friends. Thiscan all be very confusing for a boy who is about 14 years old.
Huck also has a drunken pap who doesn’t care at all for him. Huck is then forced to live with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Throughout the story, we see Huck represent the morals of the innocent prevailing over those of society. In his “adventures,” he learns the meaning of true friendship and what’s really important in life. In the story, Huck makes the decision to escape from his “family.” This is a decision that goes against the morals of Huck’s society, church, and state. Children aren’t supposed to run away from their parents. Also, his decision to help Jim escape goes against the same morals. In his “adventurous” escape down the Mississippi, he begins to feel truly free. This is a feeling that is contrasted acutely with society’s “oppression” of freedom, basically when he is on land. In Jim’s and Huck’s escape, they are able to build their trust and friendship for each other.
However, at the same time, he must leave behind society’s ways… getting “civilized, money, and “family.” Along Jim’s and Huck’s “adventure,” they have many conversations along the way. These conversations consist of their freedom, money, and superstition.
In the story, they both have their own opinions about various things, like Solomon. “‘Well, but he was the wisest man anyway because the widow, she told me so, her own self. “I don’t care what the widow says, he wasn’t no wise man neither. He has some of the dad-fetchedest ways I ever see. Do you know about that child that he was going to chop in two?” “Yes, the widow told me all about it.” “Well then! Wasn’t that the beatenest notion in the world? You just take and look at it a minute. There’s the stump, there’s one of the women! Here’s you, that’s the other one; I’m Solomon, and this dollar bill’s the child. Both of you claims it. What do I do? Do I shin around among the neighbors and find out which one the bill does belong to and hand it over to the right one, all safe and sound, the way that anybody that had any gumption would? No; I take and whack the bill in two, and give half of it to you, and the other half to the other woman. That’s the way Solomon was going to do with the child. Now I want to ask you; what’s the use of that half a bill? It can’t buy anything. And what use is half a child? I wouldn’t give a darn for a million of them.”
As you can see from this dialogue between them, they had a distinct contrast in thinking. Huckleberry, being the young and innocent boy, believes and conforms to the ideas of Miss Watson and others of the dominant white society.
Huck would believe just about anything that comes out of a whiteperson’s mouth, and argue it against the words of a “nigger. ” Jim on the otherhand was much older and a lot smarter, for he could think for himself. Jimknows better than to go with the ideas and beliefs of society, which are wrong. Such a conversation leads to a very strong point made by Twain in its own irony;the story shows of how the white people are dominant over the blacks, but yetthey couldn’t think for themselves.
Whereas, on the other hand, the oppressed “niggers” are thinking things through using logic, instead of simply conformingto what others think. Jim later goes on to talk about superstition, whichtotally goes against the society in which Huck was raised. “God” was thealmighty and made everything and controlled everything; that’s what Huck wasraised to believe. However, on the other hand, Jim was able to not correspondto the ways of the church, but made his own beliefs. Jim even had ideas aboutsigns and stuff. “‘Ef you got hairy arms en a hairy breas”, it’s a sign dat you’sa-gwyne to be rich.
Well, dey’s some use in a sign like dat,’kase it’s so fur ahead. You see, maybe you’s go to be po’ along time fust,en so you might git discourage’ en kill yo’sef ‘fyou didn’t know by de sign dat you gwyne to be rich bymeby. ‘”Have you got hiary arms and a hairy breast, Jim?””What’s de use to ax dat question? Don’t you see I has?””Well, are you rich?””No, but I ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich ag’in. Wunst I hadfoteen dollars, but I tuck to specalat’n’, en got busted out. “Huck was more easily convinced about Jim’s story this time, because therewere no “white” signs like it.
He had no argument from his society that saidotherwise, so he believed Jim. This conversation shows the vulnerability of ayouth with innocence. Such a youth takes on the beliefs of others and defendsthem as his own. Furthermore, if there had been an even more ridiculous storyacquired from the words of a white man, Huck would in no way have believed Jim.
Such actions of a “whiteboy” shows the assumptive and gullible attitudes of avery conforming society. In conclusion, Huck’s “adventure” was filled with many decisions, decisionswhich were very revealing to the reader of the attitudes of the time. He showedus many good decisions against the morals of society, such as escaping from hispappy, escaping the ideas of society to start new ones of his own, and to leavethe worries of money behind him. However, at the same time, he makes baddecisions against his society.
“Huck had left his ‘family’ and avoided getting ‘civilized.’ In his quest for true freedom, Huck was able to grow considerably and mature. Yet, he was still not mature enough to formulate ideas of his own. Nonetheless, no matter how Huck’s ideas and morals change, he will always remain a true friend to Jim. Adventurous or not, this book was great in showing that the whites weren’t always right, and Blacks could also be great in many respects.
