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Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is based on a young boy growing up in Missouri in the mid- 1800 s. The adventures Huck Finn gets into while floating down the Mississippi River show many serious experiences that occur on the dry land of civilization better known as society. These events follow after the Civil War and are told through the eyes of Huckleberry Finn. He unknowingly develops morally from the influences surrounding him on his journey to personal freedom. Huck's moral development begins before he ever gets on the raft that takes him down the Mississippi. His mother is dead.
His father is mainly drunk all the time. Huck grows up following his own rules until he moves in with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. These two women try to sivilize Huck by making him attend school, study religion, and act the way they think is the acceptable way to act. Huck's free spirited soul keeps him from accepting the lonely life these two women have in mind for him. The freedom Huck seeks in Tom Sawyers gang is not much more than childrens games. Still, Huck thinks that Tom is superior to him because of his more favorable family background.
Pap and the kidnapping play another big event in Huck's moral development. Pap is not sociable and wants to undo all the civilizing that the Widow and Miss Watson have attempted to teach Huck. However, Pap does not symbolize freedom. He encourages drunkenness, prejudice, and abuse. Huck escapes the cabin to search for the freedom he wants. After Huck goes to Jackson Island, he meets the most influential character of the novel, Jim.
Jim is a run away slave and after talking with him Huck learns that Jim has a family, dreams, and talents. At this pint in the book, Huck still believes that blacks are basically different from whites. Huck's mind reminds him that hes a low-down and dirty abolitionist for helping Jim run away from his owner. Huck does not see that Jim is looking for freedom. The first adventure Huck and Jim take part in is the steamboat adventure.
Huck shows development of character when he tricks the watchman into going back to the boat for the criminals. He felt that even though they are thieves, and plan to murder another man, their lives are still valuable. Huck's reaction to the event is strange, but unlike most people, he sees the good in people and tries to help them. Getting lost in the fog while floating down the Mississippi River causes a major turning point in the development of Huck Finns character. Before this event Huck has seen Jim as a lesser person than himself.
After denying the fog event to Jim he says, It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a slave; but I done it, and I want ever sorry for it afterward, neither. Huck says he could never do such a thing again. He has gained respect for Jim, which explains the risks he is willing to take for Jim. One short scene which is important is when the men on shore want to check Huck's raft for runaway slaves. He escapes by tricking them into thinking that his dad is onboard with smallpox. This scene gives a negative view of human nature.
The men had helped Huck until they realized that they were in danger themselves. They put their own safety above that of others. On the other hand, Huck risks his own freedom to see that Jim get his. The feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons adds to Huck's bad feelings for society in general. In this adventure, Huck learns what a feud is and also witnesses the awful results that hostility can bring upon families. The Duke and the King join Huck and Jim in the middle of the novel.
The two con-men use Huck and Jim to fulfill their greed and desires. Like the two men from the steamboat occurrence, Huck knows that their schemes are wrong. Huck, however, insists that he help them and learns the hard way that an individual is judged by his company. The con-mens attempt to fool others that they are the brothers of the late Pater Wilks is an important part of Huck's development. The Duke and King try to take over Peter Wilks estate. Huck decides to return the money to Peters three daughters.
This action on Huck's part shows further moral growth. He also shows more development when he chooses to abandon the two con-men. Huck later sees one of the daughters crying beside the coffin of Peter Wilks. Seeing this makes a strong impression on him.
Not only does he experience his first love, he also feels sorry for an innocent victim. All right then, Ill go to Hell! Huck says. This is the highest point in Huck's moral development. He has decided to go against his conscience by freeing Jim, and in doing so rejects society. The society he has grown up in teaches that freeing slaves is wrong.
Huck reaches the point where he realizes that what he feels is right. His own beliefs are superior to those of Southern civilization. Jim has taught him what it is like to feel free while they were gliding down the Mississippi. When Huck would need safety from the dry land, Jim was always his safe person. The next situation Jim and Huck go through is one of the hardest. Jim is caught by Tom Sawyers relative and Huck decides he will get his friend back.
Jim sees Uncle Silas as a good man, but he doesnt seem to realize that he too owns slaves. During Huck's rescue attempt of Jim, Jim looks up at Huck, Huck looks up to Tom Sayer and causes his rescue attempt to jeopardize Jims freedom. Jim shows compassion again when he tries to save the Duke and King from being tarred and feathered. There seems to be a period in Huck's development during the rescue attempt that his moral development slows down. Huck lets Tom Sawyer take the controls and sits quietly while Tom puts poor Jim through ordeal after ordeal. When it is made certain that Jim is a free man, Huck learns the truth about his fathers death.
It is obvious to the reader that Huck thanks Jim for protecting him and does not regret the adventures he and Jim have had together. Huckleberry Finn was able to rise above the rest of society. As a young boy he learned many things about the cruelness of the world and what freedom really means. Huck will never accept civilization and will always go back to the safety of the Mississippi River. There were times when Huck made the wrong decisions, but he learns that growing up is full of mistakes, but that he learns from his mistakes. Our society has come a long way since the Civil War.
It is important to realize that people, like the characters of Jim and Huckleberry Finn, have helped make the idea of freedom available to everyone who needs a harbor from the dry land of civilization better known as society.
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