America constantly evolves which consequently leads citizens to be either “two kinds” of people who compose it, an individual or a conformist. Fortunately, they do not have to permanently label themselves considering there are certain extents to which they can be one or the other. As a U.S. citizen, one should stand out to grow intellectually and find self happiness and although many people like to think of themselves as a unique person than the rest of society, conforming is necessary when lives are at risk and not for the satisfaction of others. The choice to be an individual comes solely on the desire to change one’s own morals, beliefs, and to find self satisfaction. What makes an individual unique is their beliefs and aspirations. Throughout …show more content…
Huck wanted “to stand well with [Tom Sawyer’s gang] and have their inspiring approval and praise”(Twain). Huck is still a child, therefore his need for self approval from peers is necessary, but he encounters Jim, and the acceptance of being around him is defiance in itself. His character develops that he values his personal goal to “make Jim just as a free man as [he is]”(233) and to “do justice, cost what it may” in order to “refuse allegiance to, and to resist [what society deems as right]” ( Thoreau). Even when the readers and Huck himself know that he holds the correct answer, he holds back in fear of what the society will think if he helps a slave escape. Huck moves from valuing Jim as property to valuing him as any ordinary man who “cared just as much for his people as white folks do for their’n, [...] a mighty good nigger, [he is]” (155). Huck grows intellectually by refusing racial stereotypes through adventures and the importance of him gathering his own morals makes Huck rediscover himself, an independent thinker not phased by the opinions of society. Similar to Orwell in “Shooting an Elephant”, Huck’s beliefs rebel against what “the sneering yellow faces of young men” thought in the same …show more content…
In most cases, compliance with society is done to avoid punishment or ridicule. Orwell admits that “the crowd [yells] with hideous laughter” and he feels “[the village’s] two thousand wills pressing [him] forward” to obliterate the elephant. He is “only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind” therefore, not doing as the crowd says will result in brutal suffering and mockery. Despite Orwell not fulfilling his intuition of renouncing the elephant, doing so would not benefit Orwell in the slightest. He knows the mob will disfavor his decision and face the mob where they “fight with courage that’s born in them, but with the courage that’s borrowed from their mass”(Twain,147). Similarly, Huck does not tell Pap the truth about why he is holding a gun when Pap wakes up. He compulsively lies that “somebody tried to get in, so [he] laying for [the intruder]” in order to abstain Pap from aggressively accusing such lies and possibly beating Huck (30). The significance of Huck’s lies are to protect himself and not make matters worse with Pap. Punishment is a rational reason why someone would subject their will to others. An uncommon reason why some would also conform is to live in a harmonizing society. “Little Boxes” depicts a utopia despite the absence of individualism. The neighborhood displays how synchronizing their
In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn you meet a rebellious young teen named Huck Finn. Huck is not your everyday hero especially in the beginning of the novel but slowly through the story his mature, responsible side comes out and he shows that he truly is the epitome of a hero. Huck is forced to make many crucial decisions, which could get him in serious trouble if not get him killed. Huck has natural intelligence, has street smarts, which are helpful along his adventure, and is assertive. Huck has always had to rely on himself to get through things because he is from the lowest levels of white society and his dad is known more or less as the `town drunk." So when Huck fakes his death and runs away to live on an island he is faced with yet another problem, which revolves around the controversial issue of the time of racism.
	Huck’s attitude for Jim is racist which is seen when he decides to play a trick on Jim during their voyage. After Huck plays his trick his attitude toward Jim begins to change, "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 afterward, neither" (Twain 72). The dialogue throughout the book between Huck and Jim illustrates that Jim is more than property and that he is a human being with feelings, and hopes for a better future.
Huck has been raised in a high-class society where rules and morals are taught and enforced. He lives a very strict and proper life where honesty and adequacy is imposed. Huck being young minded and immature, often goes against these standards set for him, but are still very much a part of his decision-making ability and conscience. When faced to make a decision, Hucks head constantly runs through the morals he was taught. One of the major decisions Huck is faced with is keeping his word to Jim and accepting that Jim is a runaway. The society part of Hucks head automatically looks down upon it. Because Huck is shocked and surprised that Jim is a runaway and he is in his presence, reveals Hucks prejudice attitude that society has imposed on him. Huck is worried about what people will think of him and how society would react if they heard that Huck helped save a runaway slave. The unspoken rules th...
Throughout Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learns a variety of life lessons and improves as a person. Huck goes through a maturing process much different than most, he betters a conscience and begins to feel for humanity versus society. His trip down the river can be seen as a passage into manhood, where his character changes as he can relate with the river and nature.
Rebellious….Naive....disrespectful...Huckleberry Finn. Here on the atoll of kwajalein, the people come together, as one big family or separate groups of families. There is a place for everyone to go to, not just average cliques in high school, but more of a family that you can always trust to be there for you and trust you to be there for them. In the novel “The adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn has a quality similar to this when he is apart of Tom Sawyer's gang, yet it’s not really the same more close to opposite, people here in those groups don’t judge, we see that huck and tom sawyer’s group of robbers judge not only each other but, the outside world as well followed up by what was said “ every boy must have a family or somebody to kill, or else it wouldn’t be fair and square for the others.” (pg.8) . Huck is rebellious to his father and Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, because they tried to “civilize” him and he couldn’t stand it and thought his way of life was just fine. Huck is naive to his own thoughts on how he was raised to believe every african american was just a tool. Huckleberry Finn is disrespectful to most people even Judge Thatcher after he put the money in a trust for the kids. And because
Jim's character traits are easy to over look because of his seeming ignorance, but in reality Jim possessed some qualities that created a positive influence on Huck. He began by demonstrating to Huck how friends teach friends. His honest compassion also eventually causes Huck to resist the ideas society has placed upon him, and see Jim as an equal-- rather than property that can be owned. Huck knew he was going against society, and of the consequences that he could receive for freeing a slave. "It would get all around, that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was to ever see anybody from that town again, I'd be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame", (269-270). Huck then claims, "All right, then, I'll go to hell…"(272) This shows that Huck was willing to put himself on the line for a slave, because he ceased to view Jim as property and recognized him as a friend. At the beginning of the story Huck would have never done this, but after the many adventures that occur, Jims unconditional love for Huck pierces the shell society placed ar...
In chapter 16, Huck goes through a moral conflict of whether he should turn Jim in or not. “I was paddling off, all in a sweat to tell on him; but when he says this, it seemed to kind of take the tuck all out of me (89).'; Right off from the beginning, Huck wanted to turn Jim in because it was against society’s rules to help a slave escape and Huck knew it. But when Jim said that “Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now (89),'; made helped Huck to grasp the concept that there is a friendship in the making. Even though Huck didn’t turn Jim in, he is till troubled by his conscience when the slave catchers were leaving because he knows it is wrong to help a slave. Still Huck cannot bring himself forward to tell on Jim, thus showing that his innate sense of right exceeds that of society.
In lieu of his escape, Jim emphasized his feelings of becoming a free man. Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom (p. 238). Huck came to the realization that Jim was escaping for a far different reason than he, and began to see this “nigger’s” freedom as his own fault; he was an accomplice. Huck’s conscience became plagued by the fact that Jim was escaping the custody of his rightful owner, and he was doing nothing to stop this. In Huck’s eyes, Jim was essentially the property of poor old Ms. Watson, who didn’t do anything less than teach Jim his manners and his books. Altogether, Huck felt that he was doing wrong by concealing this, and felt miserable to say the least.
Huckleberry Finn, a young boy from St. Petersburg’, is able to disregard the typical views of African Americans and see them as the humans they are. When Huck and Jim begin to converse and learn more about each other Huck is constantly surprised by Jim’s knowledge; even
While Huck’s constant lies while narrating the novel makes the authenticity of certain events doubtful, it serves a much greater purpose of allowing the reader to indirectly see the continued improvements and declines of Huck’s moral judgment. At some points, he serves only himself; at other key events in the story, he creates elaborate lies that help others. The moral development of Huck makes itself apparent in the changing lies of Huck, allowing readers to observe the events taking place within Huck’s mind with ease.
Many words the book contains are full of vivid disgust towards black slaves. Every single line talks about how white people despise and refuse to accept the black race. Answering Aunt Sally's question about whether or not anyone is hurt Huck answers, "no mum, just killed a nigger."(Twain 213) This is the one and only acceptable way to talk about black people in the "white" society. In addition to this, not only is the black people treated differently from the white, they are also considered to be one's property. "He is the only property I have," (Twain 122) Huck is perforce to say in order to save Jim. This is the only way to get through without the essence of suspicions. Though Huck shows racism in public as society teaches him, deep inside he understands that Jim is a great person. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Mark Twain shows that there is more to people then looks and race, showing the importance of beliefs and character.
Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through much criticism and denunciation has become a well-respected novel. Through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old boy, Huckleberry Finn, Twain illustrates the controversy of racism and slavery during the aftermath of the Civil War. Since Huck is an adolescent, he is vulnerable and greatly influenced by the adults he meets during his coming of age. His expedition down the Mississippi steers him into the lives of a diverse group of inhabitants who have conflicting morals. Though he lacks valid morals, Huck demonstrates the potential of humanity as a pensive, sensitive individual rather than conforming to a repressive society. In these modes, the novel places Jim and Huck on pedestals where their views on morality, learning, and society are compared.
The roles of diversity and uniqueness are a crucial part of society today. Without these qualities being enforced into the American character, people won't produce thoughtful ideas that could help shape America. Both authors illustrate the evil effect of conformity in society and support how one should be self reliant, not phony, and confident in their own beliefs and ideas.
... he now realizes that stealing property is bad. Since Huck and Tom, although in a drawn-out manner, free Jim it is implied that he regards Jim as a fellow human being, not a slave. Showing Huck this equality and fostering a friendship between him and Jim could only be done by this kind of physical journey, as the idea of equality was only in its infancy at the time and had not taken root with any southerner.
Like previously mentioned, he wants to be free. "What's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (Ch. 16). He doesn’t see the purpose in learning how to be an upstanding citizen in society, he rather do wrong and be left alone than to do right and get no recognition. Money and success isn’t a necessity for Huck and Jim. It means more to them to be free of sterotypes and being held back, than to have large amounts of money. Although it seems as if the American Dream today is all about money and power, when it comes to racism and even discrimination of gender, many people would rather be free from mockery than to be the most successful person in the world. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is able to depict the disillusions of American ideals versus the actually political and social realities. Even though slavery has technically been abolished, Jim was still being held back by Jim Crow Laws and the prejudices of the South. And Huck cannot seem to escape the wrath of his drunk father, who seems to do nothing but burden him. It is sad to see that their dream of freedom is being blocked by miniscule, yet overriding,