The Need for a Source of Growth: Comparison of the Stories of John Smith and Huckleberry Finn

As a person it is necessary to grow; whether it be good or bad, growing is essential. Within the novel of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the main character Huck goes through a tremendous amount of growing. As people we need to grow and as a body of people or a country it is crucial to continue to grow. However, the situations of helping us grow aren’t always done in positive manners. Throughout the novel Huck is forced to decide his own true morals and not those that are imposed on him. As a country first being established (as colonies) we had to find a way to grow and use tactics to do so. In these instances conning took place.

The beginning of the great country began with Captain John Smith who was, “A soldier of fortune with rare powers of leadership and self- promotion” (Tindall/Shi 29). John Smith is the very reason Jamestown survived through the harsh seasons and periods of starvation. He was able to negotiate with the Natives at the time to help them survive. The Natives had no real idea that the Englishmen wanted more than just a trade and military alliance. The real plan of the English was to seize the land and subjugate the Natives. John Smith even tries to persuade English people who are in England to come to the New World so that he can get rich in “Description of New England”. He writes letters to them using 3rd person describing himself and how great everything was going to con them into voyaging over the New World.

Huck Finn, a young boy who is trying to run away from being “sivilized”. Through his journey he ends up growing in a huge way. He is constantly facing moral issues and having to make decisions that can result in life or death. One of the biggest obstacles Huck faces is when he meets the duke and the dauphin, whom are complete liars from the beginning by stating they were a duke and a dauphin. His first encounter with them they clearly seem to be facing backlash from the scam the older one(dauphin) was trying to pull off running a revival and taking money from it, “a little report got around, last night”, “If they got me they’d tar and feather me and ride me on the rail for sure”(Norton 183). Huck knows that they are pulling his leg but still decide to stick with them considering his circumstances"these liars warn't no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds”(Norton 185). These men team up together and drag Huck and Jim through countless scams. Finally, Huck deems that what the men are doing is wrong. This happens towards the end of the journey when they attempt to scam innocent girls out of an inheritance. This is time that Huck truly sees that what they are doing is wrong and begins to stand against it by sabotaging them and attempting to turn them in. At this point in the novel, Huck has a huge turning point into growing into a person of morals. Risking everything he had because he believed that it was right.

No matter what angle a person comes from, there is always a source of growing. So be it that it happens to come from conning. With John Smith conning hundreds of people to come to an unknown country so that he could get rich and be someone of importance and Huck enduring conning and realizing that it is wrong and finally turning over a leaf and deciding things on his own apart from what others say.