Huck's Journey In Huckleberry Finn

Throughout the story, the author, Mark Twain, creates a social critique by juxtaposing freedom against slavery, civilization and other social norms. The reader understands that it is not only Jim who is looking for freedom, but Huck as well. While Huck is not a slave, he still feels trapped by the restrictions society has placed upon him. The entire novel reveals Huck 's resistance to conformity in a culture filled with hypocrisies. At the end of the novel, Huck is once again given the opportunity to reenter society. Again, Huck decides he wants his freedom. Evidently, his time floating down the river with Jim was not just an escape from a difficult situation, but the acquisition of the very freedom all of us long for., the one that results from individual and true to

Jim tells Huck he hit her for not listening to get to work, but he then finds out she has been recently made dea when she did not react to the door slamming shut from the wind. He realizes he hit her when she never even heard Jim to begin with. Jim was so distraught begging for forgiveness from the Lord and his daughter, because he would never forgive himself for his mistake. This shows Jim’s deep rooted connection with love of others and his humanity. Not only that, but Huck realizes he cares deeply for his family and is capable of emotions that otherwise racist ideologies have told him are not possible. Huck now believes that this cannot be the case since he sees Jim having strong familial ties with his own eyes. This example of Jim’s release of the minstrel mask makes Huck gain a higher opinion of him.

He wants to be there for Jim like Jim has been there for him, and Huck knows that if he decided to turn Jim in, Jim would’ve been affected by his decision forever.In conclusion, Huck’s growth throughout the novel is shown through the decisions Huck makes as the novel progresses. Huck’s judgement and morality grows and he learns how to think about how his decisions will affect the people around him. At the beginning of the novel, Huck consents to his gang killing Miss Watson, who was a part of his family. This shows he does not think about his actions and he has poor morality. At the end of the novel, Huck is risking his own reputation to save Jim from being enslaved once more, which proves he has matured emotionally and gained

After Huck finds out that Jim is captive, Huck “set down and cried. [He] couldn’t help it” (210). After returning to the raft and not finding Jim there, Huck is overcome with emotion. The fear of Jim not being around causes Huck to realize how important Jim is to him. The friendship they developed on the river and through their adventure causes Huck to be more concerned for Jim’s safety than society’s need to keep Jim captive. Huck, therefore, sees Jim as his friend and ignores society’s expectations to treat him less than human. After tearing up the letter he writes to Miss Watson, Huck “... studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’” (214). Huck realizes that Jim is in need of assistance so he decides to do what is morally correct, which is to help Jim escape. Huck decides to act on his morals rather than be held captive by society; Huck believes that he has to act in the best interest of Jim and does not consider what society believes is acceptable behavior. By stating that he will “go to hell,” Huck reiterates what he promises Jim in the beginning- that he rather be a “low down abolitionist”; these statements combined supports his feelings to protect Jim from society. When Huck and Tom get back to the house, Huck states, “...it don’t make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person’s conscience ain’t got no

Mark Twain emphasizes the theme that a person's morals are more powerful than the corrupt influence of society in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Based on how Huck Finn views the world and forms his opinions, he does not know the difference between right and wrong. In the novel, Huck escapes civilized society. He encounters a runaway slave, Jim, and together they travel hopes of freedom. But along the way, Huck and Jim come across troubles that have Huck questioning his motives. Throughout their journey, Huck is aware that Jim has escaped but does not know whether or not to turn him into the authorities. Huck’s mentality about society matures and he realizes his need to protect Jim from dangers. As the novel progresses, Huck begins to realize the flaws in society. Huck ultimately chooses to follow his own

Chp.31). As Huck and Jim navigate down the Mississippi River, sharing narrow escapes and miracles, their bond develops. Huck comes to love and respect Jim, but the notion of doing the “right” thing tells him to turn Jim in. From his bringing up, he believes he has a moral obligation to turn Jim in, because Jim is Miss Watson’s ‘property’. But, reminiscing of his Journey with Jim and “how good he always was”, Huck denies the moral code society placed upon him and decides he will do everything to go save Jim. Smiley says that throughout the entire story “Twain really saw Jim as no more than Huck’s sidekick”, as "Jim is never autonomous never has a vote, always finds his purposes subordinate to Huck's, and, like every good sidekick, he never minds” (Smiley). Yet, we see in Huck’s moral dilemma, how he understands how great and amazing of a person that Jim is when they were “floating along talking, and singing, and laughing”, that he finally defeats the concept of Jim being just a ‘sidekick’ or a slave (HF. Chp 31). Huck truly sees Jim as his equal when he commits his entirety to saving Jim, getting mad that to society, Jim amounted only to “forty dirty dollars” (HF. Chp 31). Although he considers turning Jim in and struggles against the constant thought because society would get angry “that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom” and he would be condemned “to everlasting fire” , we see a person able to defeat mainstream conventions and strive for what he as an individual believes stands as truly right (HF. Chp 31). Smiley claims that the story is only “lighting out for the territory" for racism, but without first convincing the majority of people to judge people by their value rather than what

In the text, The Ethical Life, by Russ Shafer-Landau, it questions Jonathan Bennett’s morality and sympathy and how the two of them can come into conflict. Morality and sympathy are connected, but still very different. Throughout this chapter, Jonathan Bennett outlines many important points and factors that go into these connections and how they can overlap and conflict.

Throughout the course of the novel, Huck transforms from a product of society into someone that chooses to rebel against all everything he has been taught by helping Jim. Huck is clearly racist when he first meets Jim. He still follows the ideas of society. However, as he gets to know Jim, he is able to see Jim differently. He starts to form a connection with him. As this change in Huck begins to happen, Huck struggles with deciding whether to help Jim, going against what he has been taught, or to turn him in, doing what Huck believes, is the right thing. Huck feels compassion for Jim, but he thinks that helping him is directly defying God. “it [Huckleberry Finn] is an image of the conflict between social and personal virtues, between, on the one hand, people 's associations as social concepts and social products and, on the other, their associations simply as human beings”(Ostrom, 164). Huck grapples with his personal feelings, and what society has taught him. Jim is seen by most as simply a slave who is inferior. This is the mindset that Huck was brought up with. But Huck sees Jim in a different light, and acts in ways that members of society would never act. One time Huck’s development shows is when he tricks Jim. Huck makes Jim think that an event that happened was all a dream. This upset Jim so in response Huck said, “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards,

This leads into the main internal conflict that Huck must face. He must chose whether to break federal law by running away with Jim, a slave, or to do what society believes what is right and return him back to his owner. In the end, Huck chooses to not turn Jim in and go on a journey with him, defying the laws of the country. Johnson says that this recommends disobedience and defiance on the part of young people, however it does the opposite. This shows that Huck’s moral values are more in tune with making the right choice than society’s. On their journey, Jim even tells Huck that he is the best friend he had ever had (Twain 72). Huck might break the law, but he selects that option over condemning his friend to a lifetime of unhappiness and

Jim, a runaway slave, is the most influential individual when it comes to Huck’s moral development. During the beginning of the novel, Huck’s morals are primarily based on what he has learned from Miss Watson. Huck begins to become wary of such ideals that Miss Watson has imposed on him, and decided all he wanted “…was a change” (Twain 10). As Huck escapes from society by running away he had the chance of running into Jim on Jackson Island. During this time Huck displays his moral growth after playing a trick on Jim. Huck displays his moral growth because after placing a snake skin under Jim’s blanket, which eventually causes Jim to be bitten by a snake, he

This is the climax of the novel, in which many of the underlying themes are made clear. Huck’s morals overcome his fear for punishment, and he is determined to help Jim even if he has to go to hell for it. Furthermore, Jim is a runaway slave, and in the context of the story, helping a runaway slave, albeit one that was sold and has a new owner, would be almost traitorous to Huck’s community.

In chapter thirty-one Huck is feeling pressing guilt for the harboring of Jim. Huck felt the need to write to Miss Watson about the whereabouts of Jim. He writes to her saying “Miss Watson, your runaway nigger Jim is down here two mile below Pikesville, and Mr. Phelps has got him and will give him up for the reward if you send” (213). After writing the letter, Huck feels pure and that his sin of helping Jim escape is gone, and that he can pray now. Huck thinks that this is the right thing to do and that this decision will bring him clarity. However before Huck does anything with the letter, he starts to think about it and realises something important. He starts to think back to all his adventures with Jim when they escaped people and bonded on the river and registers that he will feel more guilty for turning Jim in that “stealing” Miss Watson’s slave. He states, “‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’-and tore it up” (214). This is just one example of how Huck has

Specifically, through the controversy of slavery at the time, Huck learns how to listen to his intuition and conscience. His slight hesitation escaping with Jim makes him question the authenticity of his morality. He says, “I begun to get it through my head that he was most free--and who was to blame for it? Why, me … But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could ‘a’ paddled ashore and told somebody” (Twain 87-88). At this stage in the novel, it is important to denote his ambivalence toward the situation. Though he helps Jim, he feels a sense of guilt for going against societal standards. Regardless, Huck has a myriad of opportunities to turn Jim in--and doesn’t. This verifies that Huck progresses in developing his maturity and poise. Naturally, as his bond with Jim cultivates, Huck unknowingly treats him as a human. Through Huck’s sensibility, he states, “It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all … I hadn’t no objections, ‘long as it would keep peace in the family; and it warn’t no use to tell Jim, so I didn’t tell him” (Twain 125). Correspondingly, Huck gains a consideration for Jim and his personal feelings, which he expresses nonchalantly through motley aspects of their journey. This also shows how his aspects of racism are changing; he starts to believe people are people, no matter

The quote that I found most relevant was "get up hump yourself, Jim! there ain 't a minute to lose. There after us!" [Tawin 73]. At this point in Huck is helping Jim escape because he is a runaway slave. Huck found out that Ms.Watson is looking for Jim and she is giving a reward for the person that finds Jim. Huck knew they 're coming for Jim, but instead he says they are after both of them. This is significant because Huck is risking his life by helping a black slave. Most people wouldn 't do that because it 's against the rules. Huck is helping Jim escape but as a team. Jim is thankful for Hucks help. this quote shows how much Huck cares for Jims freedom. In order to get freedom for Jim they have to

The historical novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain in 1884, has many literary elements to generate a good plot and compose a good story. Twain introduces the characters, the major ones being Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, as well as Jim. Finn was a white, poor child, who unlike Sawyer was not very dramatic in his way of life. Tom Sawyer read a lot and knew how to make any situation thrilling. Jim, a very mature black child, tags along with Finn (as well as the King and the Duke) to run away, and ultimately needs to get rescued in the end as he is forced into slavery by Ms. Watson. Twain provides a narrative hook by familiarizing the readers with how vivid Tom’s life is when he and Huck sneak through Widow