Essay On Huckleberry Finn Character Development

In the beginning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn makes it clear that he is an adventurous boy. From his time with Widow Douglas to his new life with Jim, Huck has many life changing experiences, and some of those experiences are a result of Huck’s immature desire for adventure. However, as the novel progresses, Huck begins his transition from childhood to adulthood through his personal changes in values and morals. Because of these changes, Huck is a dynamic character.
Throughout the first section of the novel, Huck assumes a variety of identities, and through these identities, Huck reveals that he is maturing. The first identity that Huck undertakes is Sarah Williams. For this identity, Huck states, “I practised around all day … Jim said I didn’t walk like a girl, and he said I must quit putting up my gown … I took notice, and done better” (Twain 55). Huck is very involved in this character, so when he goes to town, he is shocked when Mrs. Judith Loftus asks, ‘“Come, now, what’s your real name?”’ (60). Huck immediately learns that he has focused on the wrong aspects of his disguise. Instead of practicing the body language of an amusing identity, Huck should have chosen a more sensible identity to assume. After learning this lesson, Huck parts with his childish desire for amusing plans, and he begins to think more practically, showing that Huck is becoming more realistic as a

person. A perfect example of Huck’s change is George Peters: a reasonable identity for Huck to assume. Through George Peters, Huck also reveals that he is becoming sympathetic. In the beginning of the novel, Huck is not worried about Jim. In fact, when Jim hesitantly says, ‘“I--I run off”’ (43) to Jackson’s Island, Huck immediately says, ‘“Jim!”’ (43) in a surprising and condemning tone, showing that Huck supports slavery and views Jim as an object of Miss Watsons’. However, when Huck learns that Mrs. Judith Loftus’ husband is trying to capture Jim, Huck gets very tense. Huck “got so uneasy I [he] couldn’t set still” (58). By worrying about Jim’s safety, Huck reveals that after spending time with Jim, he is becoming more sympathetic because Huck originally does not feel sorry when Jim is being sold. Huck's newfound sympathy reveals that he is maturing because sympathy is the first step to emotional maturity. Overall, Huck’s various identities reveal new characteristics, showing that Huck is transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
Huck reveals his changing character not only through the fake identities he assumes but also through the three tricks that he plays. When Huck decides to fake his death, it is not the first time that he will run away. In chapter one, Huck runs away from Widow Douglas to free himself from civilized life. However, Huck does not cover his tracks, and Tom Sawyer finds him with ease. Unlike chapter one, Huck goes to great detail while faking his death so that he will become free from Pap and Widow Douglas for sure. For instance, Huck “took the ax and smashed in the door” (Twain 33). Huck takes much more precaution because he values his freedom more after his experiences with Widow Douglas and Pap. Huck’s sudden appreciation of freedom shows a change in his character and personality. The second trick that Huck plays is when he kills a rattlesnake and “curled him up on the foot of Jim’s blanket” (52). But unlike the first trick, this trick is not successful. Huck is so amused with the trick that he forgets that a dead snake’s “mate always comes there and curls around it” (53). As a result, Jim gets bitten by a venomous snake. Soon after while Jim is healing, Huck realizes that he should have listened to Jim when Jim told him not handle snake-skin. Even though Jim is being superstitious, Huck’s newfound trust and respect for Jim reveals that Huck is maturing because mature people are able to listen to and give respect to people of all levels of society. After the rattlesnake incident, one night Jim and Huck get separated because of the fog. After Huck finds his way back to the raft, he tricks Jim and tells him that he dreamt of the entire separation. When Jim realizes the truth, he becomes very upset and expresses his feelings to Huck making Huck “feel so mean I [he] could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back” (86). Huck now understands how much his tricks hurt others, and he realizes that other’s feelings are more important than his amusement. This shows that Huck will not play any more tricks for amusement, revealing that Huck is maturing from Tom Sawyer’s childish character into Jim’s mature character. As a whole, throughout all three tricks, it is clear that though Huck makes some mistakes, he is able to learn from them.
Huck also shows that he is a dynamic character through his developing friendship with Jim. From a young age, Huck is taught that slaves are inferior and bad people by his society. While Jim and Huck discuss their plans after freedom, Jim says that he will free his children even if it means getting “an Ab’litionist to go and steal them” (Twain 88). Instead of supporting Jim, Huck views Jim as a traitor for wanting to steal children “that belonged to a man I [Huck] didn’t even know; a man that hadn’t ever done me [Huck] not harm” (88). At that point in the novel, society’s prejudices seem ingrained into Huck’s thoughts and opinions. However, Huck slowly begins to develop his own opinion on slaves. The turning point in Huck’s relationship with Jim is when Jim says, ‘“Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now”’ (89). Immediately Huck feels horrible about wanting to turn Jim in. In fact, moments later when two men want to search Huck’s raft for slaves, Huck, using his wit, convinces them that his family has smallpox on board, and the men, fearing infection, back away. By lying to the two men, Huck shows that Jim is more than an item to Huck. Jim is now Huck’s friend. Through this change in Huck and Jim’s relationship, Huck displays that he is becoming independent of society’s prejudice on slaves because Huck now views slaves as equals instead of as inferior people. This drastic change in Huck reveals that he is following his personal morals and conscience instead of conventional white morality.
As a character who begins as a childish and immature boy, Huck quickly begins to change throughout the first section of this novel.

Throughout the many life-changing experiences that Huck encounters, he displays how his morals and values are changing. As the novel progresses, Huck begins to develop his own set of morals, and by doing so, he shows that he is becoming independent from what society has taught him. Also, Huck begins to value Jim and freedom much more through various personal experiences. Overall, Huck is maturing from his original character of a childlike

boy.