What Is The Effect Of Punishment And Punishment In Huck Finn

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Post Civil War novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, begins in Hannibal, Missouri, and continues south down the Mississippi river; throughout this American fiction adventure story the reader develops a sense of the Justice system and early punishments during the late 1800’s, which in comparison to present day have changed considerably. “[Rules created for] the infliction… of a penalty as retribution for an offence... established by the government to control crime and impose penalties for those who violate laws” (???). As a civilization begins to develop and evolve the rules, standards, and punishments of each specific society adapt to fit the needs of the people; the early American punishments of the justice system …show more content…

The different views and punishments of the men born and raised in the South compared to men from up North is depicted through the confrontation of the Arkansaw townspeople along with Sherburn, who was raised it the Northern states. “Colonel Sherburn… was standing… in the street… a pistol raised it his right hand… Bang! (Sherburn shoots the first and second bullet, then Boggs)... tumbles backwards onto the ground… (Later the townspeople confront Sherburn, who responds by saying) The average man is a coward… he lets anybody walk over him… you didn’t bring a man with you… You brought part of a man with you” (Twain 143, 146). The townspeople back down after confronting Sherburn because his confident attitude breaks down the cowardly courage of the townspeople, which it turn allows Sherburn to get away with murder without any consequences as a result of the lack of a Justice system. Similarly, the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons have committed countless murders throughout the course of the continuous feud between the two families, without a justice system intervening and convicting members …show more content…

“Sometimes I [Huck] lifted a chicken… and took him along. Pap always said, take a chicken when you get a chance [he also said this about fruits and vegetables]… it was no harm to borrow things if you was meaning to pay them back… the widow said it… [was] stealing… Jim said… the widow was partly right and Pap was partly right… [Tom says] stealing cattle and such… [is] robbery… that ain’t no sort of style” (Twain 65, 8). Huck has irresolute feelings about stealing, because of the differing opinions of each role model (positive and negative), who influence his life. Although Huck is never caught and disciplined by the authorities for theft, the early American justice system had precise punishments for thieves. “Burglary was punished in all the colonies… a capital B [was branded] it the right hand for the first offense… left hand for the second… if either [was] committed on the Lord’s Day [he was branded] on his forehead as a mark of infamy.” (Article 2 page 8). Stealing was one of the few actions in early America, which had clear-cut retributions according to the justice system, and were required to be obeyed by each colony.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, delineated numerous crimes and retributions that

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