Huckleberry Finn (Huck Finn) is the protagonist of the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” written by the worldwide known author Mark Twain. Story is focused on the Hucks life path, his adventures and interactions with other characters. Mark Twain displays the boy as the moral center of the novel, and shows readers the process of his mental growing. This essay will discuss Hucks morality and examine his relationships with others from the position of a good or bad moral choice. In addition, the story line, including the author’s words about morality and the novels culture, which serves the process of mental growing, will be revealed.
Mark Twain does not show readers an idealized hero, who encourages people to make right choices and fight for justice. In opposite, the story line is built around the constant process of growing through complicated decisions and moral dilemmas. From the beginning of the novel, Huckleberry Finn was revealed as a boy from the streets, who knew a little about adult choices and morality. Tom Sawyer, the Hucks comrade, engaged him to participate in a band, where the main requirement was to sign the violent oath (Twain 7). According to it, the perpetrator of its provisions would have himself and one of his family killed. Huck was in the Miss Watson’s care, and in order to be accepted to the band, he offered her to be the guarantee of his loyalty. This part of the story shows, how little Huck knew about morality, despite being a young boy, as he would merely sacrifice Miss Watson, under the Sawyers influence (Twain 8). From this point, the Hucks process of mental growing began.
Mark Twain displays to readers that the only possible way to become adult in the matter of morality is to experience complicated dilemmas, which would shape an individuals vision. Therefore, Huckleberry Finn was intentionally put in front of a variety of choices and situations, from which he obtained his morality. The first complicated dilemma Huck Finn met during his journey on a boat with Jim, the slave, to Cairo. During the time, the novella describes, the phenomenon of racism was widespread, and Afro-Americans served people with white skin as slaves. The culture of the society clearly outlined the attitude toward this issue, and Huck was under its influence. He participated in Jims escaping from Miss Watson. Before the slaves ultimate liberation, Huck began to blame himself in the action, which was considered as a crime in this society (Twain 94). This dilemma was between the right choice from the perspective of the culture and Hucks consciousness, which tended to let the slave escape. Therefore, in the novel, morals came from what society believed correct, while the protagonist obtained his mental growth through learning to judge and decide independently.
However, the mentioned situation already made Huckleberry Finn doubt in his consciousness and principles, which the society considered correct, the author forced him to face the specified dilemma once again. Jim was captured by the duke and was waiting to be sold into slavery, which was right, according to the law (Twain 215). Huck did not perceive such feelings as blame and shame one more time. His defiant choice to rescue Jim, despite knowing the consequences, shows the growth of his morality since the previous dilemma. This time, Huck did not just let Jim escape, but took actions to liberate him and became free of the societys influence. Internal principles confronted ideas, which the society culture dictated, and Hucks morality was formed from this struggle.
In the novel, Mark Twain constantly emphasizes the pressure, which society had on Huckleberry Finn, from the perspective of morality. Therefore, Twain conveys that peoples morals are dictated by external reasons. Despite an individuals consciousness, it is difficult to overcame the influence of social paradigms, and the author shows it by revealing Hucks struggles regarding liberation of Jim. Moreover, the situation was even more complicated, as the slave belonged to Miss Watson, who cared about Huck and was significant to him. It is possible to notice that Mark Twain keeps one distinct theme, which is a confrontation of internal and imposed moral principles throughout his novel. The author values the freedom of choice and it leads to showing the importance of independent decisions and clear consciousness in the Huck Finns adventures.
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is the Mark Twains novel, which describes the life path and the process of mental growing of the boy from the streets, Huckleberry Finn. The protagonist of the story lives during the time of widespread racism and its internal vision of rights; the boy was wrongly influenced by the society, part of which he was. Initially being a youngster, vulnerable to other peoples opinions, Huck Finn obtained the adult vision of life and principles, which made him let Jim escape from Miss Watson, and later, intentionally rescued him from slavery. The author reveals throughout the novel that morality is what people have, after being released from the societys influence. The process of mental growing and situation, from which morals come, are revealed on the example of Hucks adventures.
Work Cited
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Webster and Company, 1885.