Huckleberry Finn: the Truth Behind the Lies Essay Example
Huckleberry Finn: The Truth Behind the Lies
The famous romantic novelist, Mark Twain, is well know for his attitude towards social conformity and the mores of society. In Twain’s mind, it is human nature for people to want to do the right thing in life, without silly rules or protocol. Everyone has their falls from grace, but the human race is generally good, with some exceptions. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, characters are frequently faced with dilemmas that challenge the morals they were taught to faithfully abide by, and most of these situations are resolved through the use of deception and lying. It is not the act of lying that defines the characters, but it is their motivation behind deceiving those around them that truly emphasizes their moral worth. Mark Twain seems to support the timeless moral adage, “The ends justify the means.” Many people disagree with this statement, but Twain exemplifies the reality that the chains that confine people to society’s rules must be broken by lying to survive or to protect another. Through Huck’s journey to self-discovery, Twain conveys his belief that defying society’s moral standards is necessary in certain situations in order to do the right thing. Much research has been done on the topic of morality in Twain’s point of view and how it has been expressed through the main character, Huck. Laurel Bollinger suggests that “Huck never moves into the realm of "abstract" morality; he never asserts a conviction that when two moral principles come into conflict, one will have priority because of the nature of the moral principle itself. Instead, he acts strictly through his sense of
Sherrard 2 commitment to his friends” This is appealing to the romanticism in the novel. Huck makes his decisions purely based off of his instincts and connections to those around him, not off of the moral standards he is obligated to fulfill because of society. Albert E. Stone comments that “Huck is the image of the
The famous romantic novelist, Mark Twain, is well know for his attitude towards social conformity and the mores of society. In Twain’s mind, it is human nature for people to want to do the right thing in life, without silly rules or protocol. Everyone has their falls from grace, but the human race is generally good, with some exceptions. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, characters are frequently faced with dilemmas that challenge the morals they were taught to faithfully abide by, and most of these situations are resolved through the use of deception and lying. It is not the act of lying that defines the characters, but it is their motivation behind deceiving those around them that truly emphasizes their moral worth. Mark Twain seems to support the timeless moral adage, “The ends justify the means.” Many people disagree with this statement, but Twain exemplifies the reality that the chains that confine people to society’s rules must be broken by lying to survive or to protect another. Through Huck’s journey to self-discovery, Twain conveys his belief that defying society’s moral standards is necessary in certain situations in order to do the right thing. Much research has been done on the topic of morality in Twain’s point of view and how it has been expressed through the main character, Huck. Laurel Bollinger suggests that “Huck never moves into the realm of "abstract" morality; he never asserts a conviction that when two moral principles come into conflict, one will have priority because of the nature of the moral principle itself. Instead, he acts strictly through his sense of
Sherrard 2 commitment to his friends” This is appealing to the romanticism in the novel. Huck makes his decisions purely based off of his instincts and connections to those around him, not off of the moral standards he is obligated to fulfill because of society. Albert E. Stone comments that “Huck is the image of the