Mark Twain is phenomenal at subtly implementing his own beliefs into his writing, and into the heads of his methodical characters. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Twain implies many themes from that time period into his writing. As he does so, he plants one of the most important themes into the head of the young character of Huckleberry Finn. That theme is moral and government laws. This theme drives the story, creates personal conflict, and makes Huck see the world through new eyes. Twain did this by using one character to influence Huck many times throughout the novel, by showing Huck what morals are good and bad from an honest man’s view. Twain chose to make this character one who has no sense of hatred, but only a shear want for freedom. What Twain has put into the text made Huck evolve; it was the kind hearted Jim. Mark Twain streamed many believes though Jim to Huck; this is how and what is being streamed.
Huckleberry Finn starts as a child with little thoughts concerning slavery and its importance in the south. In the fourth chapter Huck encounters Jim for the first time in the novel; you can plainly tell that Huck is intelligent, but submissive to new ideas. This is discovered when Jim tells Huck of the hair ball oracle. “It felt pretty solid, and only rolled about an inch. But it warn’t no use; he said it wouldn’t talk.” (Huck Finn page 25) Huck finds himself trusting Jim, and this leads way to the overall evolution of Huck’s believes. Further in the novel Huck finds himself arguing with himself over one thing; Whether or not to turn Jim in or not. By this time they have set out for Cairo in search for freedom, and that is what brought this emotion to Huck. He feels morally wrong for stealing Jim from Miss...
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...He often done that.” (Huck Finn page 225) It was in chapter that Huck had assessed that Jim was white on the inside, despite the color of his skin. It was an easy excuse for Huck to do so, because Jim had become a father figure to Huck and that was difficult for Huck to grasp at his current age. Twain had meant for Jim and Huck to become as close as father and son, or close enough, because parents influence their children more than anyone else. Twain used that idea because Huck depended on Jim the way a son would a father, and that made it easier for Twain to get his ideas in. So in a way Twain made a representation of himself in his own novel, making his novel even more complex. By doing so Twain made Jim stream all of the beliefs, thoughts, and emotions of Twain strait to Huck through kind fatherly words of wisdom.
Works Cited
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn’s conscience and morality about regarding Jim as a friend changes throughout the novel as their bond with each other increases. In most parts of the story,Huck has internal conflict about whether or not he should turn Jim in,but Huck keeps thinking about how bad he would feel afterward. In chapter 8,Huck finds that Jim is a runaway. Jim explains to Huck that he overheard Miss.Watson talking about how she was going to sell Jim to a slave trader in New Orleans for $800 which would separate Jim from his family. Plus,he and Jim are traveling together for the same reason;freedom. Huck is escaping his own home life from the Widow Douglas and his abusive father believing that they're keeping him from being who he wants to be.
Mark Twain tells the story of Huckleberry Finn, and his maturity that is developed through a series of events. This maturity is encouraged through the developing relationship between Huck and Jim, as well as the strong influence Jim has on Huck. Jim's influence not only effects Huck's maturity, but his moral reasoning; and the influence society has on Huck. Jim is Huck's role model; even though Huck would not admit it. At first Jim seems to portray a Black stereotypical role with his superstitions and ignorance, although his true identity and maternal role begins to shine through as his interactions with Huck progress.
Upon arriving at Cairo, Huck must decide if he should go along with society and turn Jim in as a runaway slave, or keep his promise to his friend, and see him through to freedom. Huck feels guilty not turning Jim in when he hears him talking about hiring an abolitionist to steal his family. He does not think it is right to help take away slaves from people that he doesn 't even know. To turn Jim in for these reasons would be the influence of society on Huck. Huck 's decision on this matter marks another major step in Huck 's moral progression, because he decides not to turn in Jim on his own. This is the first time he makes a decision all on his own based on his own morality. They stop at Grangerford’s Farm, in Tennessee, after the raft is temporality destroyed. With Huck busy with the Grangerford family, Jim was able to rebuild the raft. Huck just met the Grangerfords, but fits right in immediately. He later feels that someone should take the time to write poetry about Emmeline Grangerford, recently deceased, since she always took the time to write about other people who died. He even tries to write the poetry himself, but it doesn 't turn out right. Then he also sees people shooting at each other makes him sick to his stomach. He sees it as an act against humanity and he simply cannot relate or understand how humans can treat each other in such an uncivil
Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest American novels ever written. The story is about Huck, a young boy who is coming of age and is escaping from his drunken father. Along the way he stumbles across Miss Watson's slave, Jim, who has run away because he overhead that he would be sold. Throughout the story, Huck is faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to turn Jim in. Mark Twain has purposely placed these two polar opposites together in order to make a satire of the society's institution of slavery. Along the journey, Twain implies his values through Huck on slavery, the two-facedness of society, and represents ideas with the Mississippi River.
Mark Twain throughout the book showed Huckleberry Finns personal growth on how he started from the bottom as a lonely, racist, immature kid who knew nothing to where he is now, by finally breaking away from society’s values he was taught in the beginning. He has alienated himself from the from that society and revealed how in fact these values were hypocritical. He realized that he can choose his own morals and that the one he chooses is the correct one.
Huckleberry Finn – The Changes of His Character Throughout the Novel. & nbsp; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a novel about a young man's search for identity. Huckleberry Finn goes through some changes and learns some life lessons throughout his journey. Huck changes from being just an immature boy at the beginning of the novel to being a more mature man who looks at things from a different perspective now. & nbsp; At the beginning of the novel, Huck tends to have an immature side to him. There are some things in the beginning that show that Huck still has a very childish side to him. They get down on one thing when they don't know anything about it."
Huck does not consciously think about Jim's impending freedom until Jim himself starts to get excited about the idea. The reader sees Huck's first objection to Jim gaining his freedom on page 66, when Huck says, "Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free-and who was to blame for it? Why, me. I could get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way." Huck is hearing the voice of society at this point, not his own. He does not see a moral dilemma with Jim being free; he is opposed to the fact that he is the one helping him. This shows Huck misunderstanding of slavery. Huck does not treat Jim like a slave when they travel together, this shows the reader that Huck views Jim as an equal in most ways. Huck sees having a slave only as owning the person, not actually being a slave to someone. Therefore, when he helps Jim runaway it would be like stealing. This conscience is telling him that Miss Watson, Jim?s master, never di...
Throughout this novel the relationship between Huck and Jim differs in and out of society because of Huck's feelings towards Jim. These two adventurers had planned to leave the Mississippi and go North, but missed their chance. The river took them farther and farther South. If Jim was caught, he would be in big trouble. If Huck didn't turn Jim in, he would also be in big trouble. Huck found himself battling with his conscience, when he realized how close Jim was to his freedom, "...I begun to get it through my head that he was most free-and who was to blame for it? Why, me. I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way." (pg.85) Turning Jim in would be difficult, since he was a benevolent and amiable man. It was not righteous that he should be hurt, but if Huck helped Jim run away, he would have to turn his back on his own people. He would be saying slavery, and everyone who believed in it, was wrong. Huck came to the decision to tell someone about Jim that will force him back into slavery. Soon enough they encountered two white men on a skiff. During this incident Huck perceived that his feelings to protect Jim were stronger than his feelings to turn him in. He lied when the men asked if Jim was white or black.
Twain uses Huck to show the readers how living under an authoritative figure causes one to conform to the ideals and beliefs created by society. He proves to the readers, that while under the care of adults, Huck is forced to follow rules and is limited in his own freedoms. However, in the setting of nature, Twain explains how Huck has more liberties and is free to live his life as he pleases, including “shameful” activities such as befriending Jim. As the story unravels, Twain emphasizes to the audience that society is the cause of one to conform and that action should be taken to permit more liberties and uniqueness within
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.
Mark Twain, who is a realistic fiction writer, incorporates satire and humor in his writing, including Archetypal elements to modify how the reader interprets the story. He uses many archetypal characters like Huck and Jim who both can be argued as the heroes. They both have good intentions and help others. Mark Twain portrays Jim as a deeply caring and loyal friend. Jim becomes a father figure to Huck, helping him realize the human face of slavery. Twain Portrays Huck as a young and naive boy who has been under the wrong influence for a long time. Another archetypal element that Mark Twain uses is Jims Quest for freedom. This was a quest for most all African Americans, to run away north so you could be free. But Jim was one of the few who was brave enough to do so; that’s he can be classified as the hero in the story. But Jim’s life is not too bad compared to historical records about the lives of slaves. Even though he had to struggle for his freedom, he didn’t have any good reason to leave. His life contested of helping round and not doing hard enduring work like some of the other slaves. The way Jim’s life is portrayed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Mark Twain criticizes the life of African Americans at the time.
When Huck joined Jim, he struggled to reconcile his actions as white person, with the goals of a runaway slave. Jim was set on reaching the free states along the Ohio river. Huck often found himself having to chose between following the rules of white society or his moral conscience to help Jim escape to freedom. In several instances Huck felt guilty like a low down abolitionist. He worried he was violating Mrs. Watson’s right to property by not turning in Jim. Huck’s guilt was further compounded when Jim told Huck his plans for freedom included eventually free his wife and children (Twain pg. 124,125). At first Huck reconciled these feelings by claiming that he had not turned Jim in yet, but he still could. So, Huck attempted to free himself from his guilt by deciding to turn Jim in at the next town. However, each time Huck was presented with the opportunity to turn Jim in he choose to protect Jim. One example that Jim took notice of was when Huck lied to the two slave catchers up stream. Huck told him his sick family was out on the raft to prevent them wandering out to discover Jim (Twain pg.
Jim looks at Huck as a friend, savior, and a superior. Jim sees Huck as a friend because Huck is helping Jim to be free. Huck is also seen as a savior because Huck shows up to rescue Jim from the hut after he has been captured. Finally Huck is seen as a superior because white people are a higher rank at the time in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain. “ A great relationship is about two things. First appreciating the similarities, and second respecting the differences” by an unknown
In the beginning, Huckleberry Finn hasn?t fully formed opinions on topics such as slavery. He is quite immature and content to just have ?adventures? with his friends. During his journey on the raft, he learns much more about himself through his dealings with others. He establishes his very own standards of right and wrong. Huck?s most important lessons are learned through Jim. He learns to see Jim as a person rather than as a slave: ?I knowed he was white inside? (263). More than any other character in the book, Jim is a catalyst for Huck?s maturity. Through Jim as well as other people he meets along the way, Huck becomes a more defined person who?s more fully himself. His development through the course of the novel proves The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to be a gradual journey toward growth and maturity.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the main character Huck Finn goes through many moral changes. At the beginning, Huck is wild and carefree, playing jokes and being a guileful little fellow. When Huck's adventures grow to involve more people and new moral questions never before thought of, you can tell that Huck has started to change. By the time the story is almost over, most everyone can see a dramatic change in his view on "right and wrong", his opinions, and values. Serious events often times affect a person's morals, opinions, and values. This is lucidly shown in Huck as his adventures evolve further into seriousness. Though the book has it's serious points a lot through-out, Twain still added a punch of humor to keep everything interesting and entertaining. The reader's opinion may have change a little after reading of Huck's adventures and seeing his changings.