Huck Finn's Transformation

Unlike most Southerners during this time period, Finn even feels regret for his actions against a black man. After playing a trick on Jim, Huck saw that he was truly hurt by his actions. He was able to accept that what he did was wrong and he apologized to someone of lower status than him, saying that “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, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way” (Twain 1349). By sympathizing with a former slave, Finn shows that he is able to develop a connection with people no matter their skin color. His journey allows him to really

explore what his thoughts on the world are, and through this he finds that people are people no matter what. He starts as a person who doesn’t really mind slavery, but he realizes that people have the right to be free. It is Finn’s care for the freedom of others that helps make him a great American. The founding fathers believed that it was the natural right of all people to be able to enjoy their freedom, stating that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” but the practice of slavery very much counteracted that (Jefferson). Discriminatory systems such as slavery make everyone in a society think “that the utmost limits of human power are to be discerned in proximity to himself, and no one seeks any longer to resist the inevitable law of his destiny” (De Tocqueville). Finn defied the societal norms of the time and did what was morally right time and time again. The fact that Finn cared so much for someone’s natural rights so as to not allow Jim to be returned to his owner establishes that he is someone who clearly shares in the vision of the founding fathers.
Huckleberry Finn has proven himself to be a great American figure through his actions in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

He was one of the only characters in the book to show that he actually has a conscience and real human morals. Even the way he talks distinguishes himself from the rest, as “Huck's language is a sensitive, subtle, and versatile instrument - capable of every effect it is called upon to manage” (DeVoto). Characters like the King and the Duke showed that they were bad people who only cared about money, Pap showed that he was just an abusive figure who sought to ruin Finn’s happiness, and Tom Sawyer showed that he was just a mischievous figure who didn’t really care about anyone. Finn, however, grew as a character from the very beginning to the very end of the tale. He started as a young boy who was just learning how to be civilized by the Widow Douglas. He was only interested in having fun and spending time outside with his friends, but as the story went on he was forced to mature and had to make some adult decisions for not only is life, but for the lives of others as well. On his journey, he was able to further develop his connection with nature, as he spent a lot of time on the Mississippi. By spending time with Jim, he was able to tap into his moral sensibilities and make some decisions that many people of the time wouldn’t have agreed with him. Lastly, Finn was able to search for his own personal freedom, which in turn made him a better person.

Despite his many flaws, it is Finn’s connection to nature, his search for freedom, and his care for the freedom of others that ultimately makes him a great American and a classic American character in literature.