Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain challenges the traditional notions of its time through the adventures and misadventures of its main character, Huckleberry Finn and the slave Jim. One of the central issues in the story is the issue of slavery. The story takes place in the south in a time when blacks were considered inferior to whites. Mark Twain set the story in 1852 before the civil war, but wrote it after the abolition of slavery in 1865. The development of the relationship Huck has with Jim throughout the story is used by Twain to challenge societal views of race and to encourage people to form their own views of what is right and wrong. In the beginning Huck is unaware of how incorrect the attitudes of his people towards blacks are, but
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When Huck tries to conform to what is expected of him from society he decides to write a letter to Mrs. Watson to tell her where her slave is. At first he feels righteous about his decision, he believes his is following his “conscience”. However, he hesitates in sending the letter, “but laid the paper down and set there thinking” (179). He thinks about how bad he has been and how good Jim has been to him, how Jim is his friend, “I was trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things” (179). He realizes that his overall opinion of slavery has changed, he no longer agrees with society. This is the turning point in the story, where Mark Twain wants you to realize that all decisions must be your own. Huck declared, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” (180) and tore up the letter to Mrs. Watson. Huck decides with finality that he will help Jim escape from slavery. He no longer cares how society thinks but that it is what feels right to him. Huckleberry Finn attacks the social norm of the time; that slavery is acceptable. The treatment of slaves as inhuman is not right and racism in general should be questioned. Huck himself undergoes a change by no longer accepting the social norm and instead follows his own beliefs. He learns what he truly believes after many adventures with the slave
When Huck tries to conform to what is expected of him from society he decides to write a letter to Mrs. Watson to tell her where her slave is. At first he feels righteous about his decision, he believes his is following his “conscience”. However, he hesitates in sending the letter, “but laid the paper down and set there thinking” (179). He thinks about how bad he has been and how good Jim has been to him, how Jim is his friend, “I was trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things” (179). He realizes that his overall opinion of slavery has changed, he no longer agrees with society. This is the turning point in the story, where Mark Twain wants you to realize that all decisions must be your own. Huck declared, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” (180) and tore up the letter to Mrs. Watson. Huck decides with finality that he will help Jim escape from slavery. He no longer cares how society thinks but that it is what feels right to him. Huckleberry Finn attacks the social norm of the time; that slavery is acceptable. The treatment of slaves as inhuman is not right and racism in general should be questioned. Huck himself undergoes a change by no longer accepting the social norm and instead follows his own beliefs. He learns what he truly believes after many adventures with the slave