NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain brilliantly illustrates a boy's travels down the Mississippi and the trials and tribulations that occur as a result. Having a runaway slave as a companion and being set in the South during slavery only forebodes trouble. The many characters and stunts that Huck's pulls provides for an interesting depiction of a young man's venture down a river. Huck lives in a small town and has only one drunken parent, which supplies Huck with many problems. His biological father, Pap, wanders from town to town, begging for money and drinking; and every once in a while pops back into Huck's life to beg money and to scold his son for going to school and becoming sivilized. However, there is also another male figure that acts as a father to young Huck.
Miss Watson's slave Jim travels along with Huck and befriends the boy. Because Jim is a role model and mentor to the young Huck, he is more of a father figure than his biological father. Jim also teaches him principles directly through their conversations and debates. "Jim said he reckoned that the widow was partly right and that Pap was partly right, so the best way would be or us to pick two or three things from the list and say we wouldn't borrow them anymore (Twain, 49). Jim taught Huck how to combine what he had been taught so far and how to rationalize. He also taught Huck little fables and old wives tales such as the 'bad luck if ya touch a rattlesnake' and 'a hairy breast mean ya gonna be rich sunday... (Twain, 40, 34) "Jim says you mustn't catch a bird cause it's death and you mustnt count the thing you " re gonna cook for dinner cause it's bad luck" (Twain, 34) Jim teaches him both lessons that are essential to life and ones that are amusing and make life interesting. Fathers satisfy the needs of their sons.
Jim satisfied Huck's need for exploration and his quest for knowledge and also satisfied his need for pleasure and enjoyment. A father teaches his son lessons. Jim taught Huck many lessons both unintentionally and directly. Jim shows Huck that slaves are human people.
Huck learns that slaves are capable of human emotions such as love and compassion because Jim talked of buying his wife out of slavery and stealing his children out of bondage. Jim talks of how he remembers beating his little girls and shows that he regrets it and is overcome with sadness. Jim also discusses how he missed his family at the end of the novel. As Huck listens to all of this throughout the story he concludes that slaves have feelings and emotions and that they love their families just as white folk love their families. He begins to see beyond skin color and see Jim as father and a husband. He, as a result, learns compassion from Jim On the contrary, Pap does teach Huck lessons, but not in the loving way a father should.
He teaches Huck what not to be. Huck learns what he wants to be in life or what he wants to do, by seeing what he doesn't want to become. Pap drinks heavily, and beg and filches and cons the good people of the town. On top of this Pap is arrogant and ignorant, a dangerous combination. He tries to steal and swindle his own son; therefore Huck learns that this is not good from the way he feels because of this. Pap kidnaps, beats and holds hostage his own son.
Thus, Huck learns that whatever his father does is usually wrong and illegal. "And look here, yo drop that school, ya hear? ... Ain't you a sweet-scented dandy, though, bed and bed clothes. Drop these frills, ya here" (Twain, 15). Pap instructs Huck on how to steal, that school and houses and civilization is bad in general and that black men are substandard and inferior and should not be allowed to vote. Fathers do not fill their childrens heads with lies and myths. Fathers, also, do not abuse their children emotionally, physically or mentally.
All of which Pap did. Oh, yes, this is a wonderful government, wonderful. Why, look here, there was this free nigger there in Ohio... they said he was a p'fervor in a college and could talk all kinds of languages and know all sorts of things. And that ain't the worst. They said he could vote...
What is this country comin' to? ... I says I'll never vote again... why ain't this nigger put up on auction and sold? (Twain, 20) He filled Huck's head with lies. He rationalized stealing anyway he could and just leeched off of society.
He had only lies and short cuts to teach Huck. Not only does a father teach his son right from wrong and the such, he cares and protects his son. Jim said if we had the canoe hid in a good place, and had all the traps in the cavern, we could rush there if anybody was to come to the island" (Twain, 36). Jim helped Huck find a safe spot in the cave and secure their contraband from the rain. He also shares his meals with Huck and they both help each other out when they have to escape or are in a scrape. He cares for Huck and does not to want to see him hurt.
When they went exploring on the ship-wrecked houseboat, Jim would not let Huck see the man sleeping in the corner. "'Come in Huck, but doan' look at his face-it's too ghastly'. I didn't look at him and Jim threw rags over him. " (Twain, 38) The dead man was Pap and Jim didn't want Huck to see his father and be upset and have that added trauma and stress. Jim looked out for Huck and guarded him. Jim taught him many things and took care of Huck, at times.
Pap, while he was still alive, had beaten Huck repeatedly, kidnapped him and scared his child so bad that he faked his own death to escape his clutch. Pap certainly did not care or even love Huck, he was simply a person who knew...
Free research essays on topics related to: biological father, huck, huck learns, twain, pap
Research essay sample on Huck Learns Biological Father
