Example research essay topic: Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Jim To Escape - 1,135 words

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The conflict between society and the individual is a theme portrayed throughout Mark Twain's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck was not raised in accord with the accepted ways of civilization. Huck faces many aspects of society, which makes him choose his own individuality over civilization. He practically raises himself, relying on instinct to guide him through life. As portrayed several times in the novel, Huck chooses to follow his innate sense of right, yet he does not realize that his own instincts are more moral than those of society. From the very beginning of Huck's story, Huck without a doubt states that he did not want to conform to society; "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would civilize me...

I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied" (Twain, 2). Miss Watson lives with Huck and she is always picking at him, trying to make him become conventional. Huck has become so used to being free that he sees the Widow Douglas' protection solely in terms of confinement. She doesnt let Huck smoke when he wants and she is always nagging. Miss Watson would say, "Don't put your feet up there, Huckleberry; " and "Don't scrunch up like that, Huckleberry -- set up straight; " and pretty soon she would say, "Don't gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry -- why don't you try to behave?" (Twain, 3). We get the feeling that Huck is an individual, a person who is independent and has the willingness to live a life free of complications.

One of the most prominent and important themes of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is freedom. Freedom not only from Huck's internal paradoxical struggle in defining right and wrong, but also freedom from Huck's personal relationships with the Widow Douglas and his father, as well as freedom from the societal institutions of government, religion, and prejudices. When in fact these When Pap returns for Huck, and the matter of custody is brought before the court, the reader is forced to see the corruption of society. The judge rules that Huck belongs to Pap, and forces him to obey an evil and abusive man.

One who drinks abundantly and beats his son. In this case Pap symbolizes the viciousness and cruelty of civilization. This situation prepares us for Huck's need to escape from society. This shows how Huck struggles for freedom from two families. He tries to stay away from getting civilized from Widow Douglas and tries to escape his fathers brutality. These are two examples of how Huck struggles with his conscience in discovering his own standards in relation to the standards of society.

Then, in Chapter VI Pap kidnaps Huck and puts him in a cabin in the woods. We see how Huck prefers the freedom of the wilderness to the limitations and restrictions of society. It was pretty good times up in the woods there, take it all around (Twain, 32). But when Huck feels Paps presence, is when we see how his feelings about being free in the wilderness change.

After all of the beatings that Huck had received from Pap, he decided he should run away. I can fix it now so nobody wont think of following me (Twain, 39). So he killed a pig and smeared its blood all over the place and put some of his own hair on the axe and canoed off to Jacksons Island. This shows that Huck battled with his conscience and made his own decision off of what he thought was morally right. Another part in the book where Huck has to battle his conscience in order to do what he thinks is morally right is once Huck and Jim set out, down the Mississippi in chapter VIII. Huck enjoys his adventures on the raft, "Nothing could be better" (Twain, 115), Huck thought.

But only a few pages later the raft and Jim provide the same comforts. Nothing had ever sounded so good to him as Jim's voice, and Huck felt "mighty free and easy and comfortable on the raft" (Twain, 128). He prefers the freedom of the wilderness to the restrictions of society. Also, Huck's acceptance of Jim is a total defiance of society. Huck realizes that society would call me a low down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum, (Twain, 62), but he decides not to conform to society. Ironically, Huck believes he is committing a sin by going against society and protecting Jim.

He does not realize that his own instincts are more morally correct than those of society. Most amusing is the struggle Huck has with his conscience in regard to slavery. His conscience tells him, the way it has been instructed, that to help the runaway, nigger Jim to escape -- to aid in stealing the property of Miss Watson, who has never injured him, is an enormous offense that will no doubt carry him to the bad place. But his affection for Jim finally induces him to violate his conscience and risk eternal punishment in helping Jim to escape. Huck's acceptance of his love for Jim is shown in chapter thirty-one. Huck writes a letter to Miss Watson to return Jim, yet he ends up ripping the letter and wishes to free Jim. "'All right, then, I'll go to hell'- and he tore it up (Twain, 210).

This was pretty much the ultimate finally in the battle between Huck and his conscience, because he has finally realized what a true friend Jim is and he knows that he is doing the right thing. In the quote, why, he was my nigger, and that was my money. Where is he? -I want my nigger (Twain, 212), Huck is trying to get Jim back so he can make money, (or so this guy thinks who sold Jim) but in reality it is because Huck cares for Jim such a great deal that he is willing to go through all of this trouble for him. Huck doesnt realize that his goodness comes from within. He doesnt become aware that those inner qualities are not paralleled to external behavior. If Huck were to catch on, he would be eager to change how society functions instead of running away from it.

Huck acts as a much nobler person when he is not confined by the hypocrisies of civilization. Throughout the story we see how he distances himself from society and creates his own world in which he follows his own feelings of whats moral and honorable. From the beginning of the story we see his instinct come into play and how it affects his decisions throughout the story. He almost always goes his own way, makes up his own mind, and lives by his own standards. Bibliography:

Research essay sample on Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Jim To Escape