Preview

Huck Finn theme essay

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1239 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Huck Finn theme essay
Autonomy Over Conformity According to Jane Rule, “Morality is a test of our conformity rather than our integrity.” The main character of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, struggles with the conflict between doing what society believes is right, and doing what he thinks is right. Raised in the South, Huck was brought up to believe only what he was told by the people around him. But as he endured his own experiences and personal conflicts, he opened his ears to his own conscience rather than the outside voices feeding him his beliefs. Twain uses Huck’s journey to overcome societal pressure and his efforts to formulate his own idea of morality, to exemplify the importance of autonomy rather than conformity. The dangers of succumbing to the standards of society prevents us from doing what we know is right and instead makes us sheep rather than individuals. In the 1800s, there was a common attitude of hatred toward blacks, clearly illustrated in Pap’s drunken rant addressing slaves’ rights to vote, “why ain’t this [slave] put up at auction and sold” (27). Twain’s use of Pap’s dragged on rant reveals the demeaning view of blacks as property rather than human beings. This strong opposition to their voting privileges greatly reflects the views of many Americans against abolition during this time period, displaying the ignorance and racism exhibited by most people. When Huck began travelling with Jim, a runaway slave, he had promised to keep quiet about Jim’s escape from his master. In the back of his mind, however, he worried that “people would call [him] a low-down abolitionist and despise [him] for keeping mum” (43). This line in the novel further emphasizes the abomination of protecting a slave in this society. Blinded by the racism and perception of blacks as inferior, people viewed abolitionists as “[slave]-lovers;” this being the worst title someone could possibly have during this period in time. Though Huck was willing to be Jim’s partner on their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn Satire Essay

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages

    By satirizing slavery and the prejudice placed against blacks in Huck's society, Twain takes a stance against these institutions. There are many situations throughout the novel that mock slavery in different ways. Miss Watson's telling Huck to "pray every day," (10) yet she owned a slave "named Jim" (4). Miss Watson is portrayed as a good, Christian woman with high morals, yet she owns a slave. Twain uses this hypocrisy to show that many Southern people were going against their own ideas of Christianity, by owning slaves. The prejudice against black people is further mocked by the introduction of Huck's racist and alcoholic father. Pap becomes so outraged when he finds out that a free slave can "vote when he was at home," even though the free slave is smarter than him and a "p'fessor in a college," that he asks what the country is "a-coming to" (27). Pap does not care that the black man is more intelligent than him, he only sees that he is black, and he does not agree with the fact that the man is allowed to vote. Pap's outrage further emphasizes Twain's satirizing of the prejudice placed against black people during that time period. Twain's mocking of the southern pro-slavery whites reflects his own anti-slavery opinions.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Huck Finn Essay

    • 1762 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Most people often assume that the aim of civilizations is for humanity to function together, jointly and cooperatively, so that humans produce and experience the benefits of moral people who live and act together. However, in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the reverse is true. The swap in societal stereotypes is apparent in the king and the duke’s production of the Royal Nonesuch as well as Huck and Jim’s pleasant journey down the Mississippi after escaping the family feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons. Leading up to the performance of the Royal Nonesuch, the king and the duke attract an all-male audience in a small town in Arkansas for a so-called “tragedy”, and make signs promising lewdness in the performance. Conversely, the protagonists of the novel, Huck and Jim, are depicted as noble characters on the outskirts of society, as they lead a carefree existence down the Mississippi River. The central irony in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that in the midst of a “sivilized” society, uncivilized members abound, particularly those who are racist, conniving, and ill-mannered; whereas Huck and Jim, who have escaped society, are more righteous, sincere, and morally sound than any of the other “sivilized” characters who populate the traditional southern communities the novel depicts.…

    • 1762 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Set in a pre-civil war time period, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is overall controversial and symbolic of a greater moral that is heavily present in this society. During this time was a large separation of North and South over the ethics of slavery and the morals of the enslaved population. During this story the protagonist, Huck Finn, makes a very important ethical decision upon whether he should or should not turn in Jim, a runaway slave. Huck has a moment of moral liberation and searches the social and religious principles of society. By having to think about these things when making a decision such as this, it can be said that this society is backwards. Mark Twain suggests that society is morally wrong with what they believe is right, their opinion of civilized and has a faulty logic.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn Morals Essay

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Along the path of self-discovery, challenges constantly present themselves as opportunities to grow intellectually and as a chance to succeed. Often times, the use of personal judgment and self-understanding is necessary in order to overcome these challenges. In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck experiences difficulties which compel him to use his moral judgment. Huck, a young boy in search of freedom, is accompanied by a runaway slave named Jim as he embarks on a treacherous journey down the Mississippi River. During his adventure, Huck must determine the fate of the runaway slave. However, as his relationship with the slave deepens, he comes to realize this task is far from simple. Huck faces this life-defining yet complicated situation as he must choose between society's pre-defined standards and his conscience. As demonstrated in the escape to freedom of the runaway slave Jim, Galileo's opposition to the Church's beliefs, and a soldier's animosity to fight, society influences individuals to the extent that they experience conflict between societal conformity and individuality.…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People, especially children, are extremely impressionable. We form our own moral compass from the examples of those we respect and admire. For this reason, Huck, in The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, is influenced by his best friend, Tom, for the majority of the story. Only when he is freed of Tom’s influence, is Huck able to make any moral developments and solidify his own values. Through this novel, Mark Twain aims to show us how twisted society’s values are and how easily Tom influences Huck’s decisions.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Society expects everyone to meet their standards. They want people to be their idea of “perfect” and if you don’t meet their standards, you are considered and outcast. Huckleberry Finn is Mark Twain’s best example when it comes to not being free from society. Throughout the entire novel, Huck was pressured to become civilized by almost everyone he encounters. For example, Miss Watson and Widow Douglas adopt Huck in hopes of being able to give him a real family. However, a “real” family is one that is civilized. The two women force Huck to dress in “regular” clothes, teach him prayers, and send him off to school. By doing all of this, the women are stripping away the boys’ freedom to be an individual. He hated this of course, saying "But it was rough living in a house all the time...and so when I couldn't stand it no longer, I lit out. I got into my old rags, and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied" (1). Huck cannot be who he truly wants to be, independent and living away from others, because he does not have the freedom to. Miss Watson and Widow Douglas are so worried about what society wants that they forget to worry about what Huck wants. Society almost creates a form of a utopia, and if you don’t fit in you’re an outcast. In a utopia, there is no such thing as an “outcast”; everyone must be the same. With that, Society is forcing everyone to get rid of his or her individuality, and become exactly like everyone else. Mark Twain uses Huckleberry to show this. He has Huck go through multiple situations where he is pressured to…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Huck Finn– Narrator of the story. He is a very intelligent young boy and wants to do everything his way. “She was a stranger, for you couldn’t start a face in that town if I didn’t know.”…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn Essay

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was the first great American novel. Ernest Hemingway went as far as to say that "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn". Mark Twain used literature to express his beliefs about American life and society. Huck Finn is a story of a young boy named Huckleberry Finn finding himself while traveling down the Mississippi River. Mark Twain uses Huck's journey towards maturity to convey his belief in the importance of being independent.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “But I reckon I got to light for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before” (Twain 279). In Huckleberry Finn, Huck tires of living in a civilized society, and escapes through the means of a river with a “nigger” named Jim. Although Twain is considered racist by some critics, he truly just reflects the time period including racism, education, and freedom, as evident through various themes and character relationships. However, Huck raised to believe racist thoughts, was able to overcome society and his father’s beliefs, and strike out as his own man.…

    • 1910 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The great American novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain is about a white southern raised child named Huck Finn and a runaway slave, Jim, running away together. This novel is similar in ways to that of the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is about “the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love Daisy Buchanan.”(Book Cover) The character Huckleberry Finn is similar to characters of “The Great Gatsby.” Huck Finn is similar to Jay Gatsby because of their lies about their families, their reasons for lying, and their frames of reference of what not to do. Huck Finn is also similar to Myrtle Wilson. This is due to the fact that both try to create and live their “adventurous fantasy” lives and also because while trying to make their fantasy a reality they quickly forget about important people and belongings.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Huck Finn Essay

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages

    People develop into individuals due to many outside influences. The most significant influence on people is society itself. However, while society influences opinions and ideas of people, the most important morals that people have remain intact despite the disparaging effects of society. Mark Twain demonstrates through the character “Huck” in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” that society corrupts the beliefs and opinions of people, but fails to overshadow their fundamental morals and principles.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    During the nineteenth century in the US, citizens faced a variety of struggles including immigration and segregation. In the book Huckleberry Finn, we become aware of the discrimination going on in this early epoch. The author, Mark Twain, addresses these painful American contradictions through Huck in an equal and rather “free” society. Huck chooses to ignore what society thinks and he decides to do what he feels is right. Huck says “I was ever so glad to see Jim. I warn’t lonesome now.” (Twain 166) At this point, Huck no longer sees Jim as just a slave. Huck sees Jim as a kind of partner. Huck decides to save Jim when he is faced with an ultimate decision. He must decide between his conscience and what feels right to him. “I was trembling because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The conflict between society as well as religion against the individuals ability to see past the mold that we live in, is a theme that is portrayed throughout the Huckleberry Finn. The book begins by creating a scenario in which a young boy, brought up in a regular South American society in the early 1800's and goes on to have him fight his way through a complex, internal, moral struggle caused by his love and friendship for a runaway slave. He had to figure out at a weather “right” was defined by what is correct in the eyes of society, or by what he felt was “right” in his heart, and then make a major decision. Huck Finn's inner struggles included; differentiating between religious, governmental, and societal rules which taught to him what is acceptable and what is not from the day of birth,and his own moral instincts. When it came time for huckleberry to make up his mind he took all that he was taught by society and his own ideology in to account and then he declared “Alright then, I’ll go to hell”. This indicated that Huck believed that following his own moral compass was more important than following the moral compass of others, or even G-d for that matter.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Mark Twain's renowned novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you seem to be teleported back in time. Twain’s strong diction and vivid descriptions make it feel as though it is really the 1940’s in Hannibal, Missouri. Huck is the troublesome boy of the town and lacks parental guidance, because of the unluckiness of having a drunk as a father. Miss Watson, the town widow, takes Huck in as her own child and attempts to civilize him. While living with Miss Watson, Huck befriends one of her slaves who goes by the name of Jim. It quickly becomes apparent that Jim has a special place in his heart for Huck, and that Huck looks up to and respects Jim. Through Jim’s pure heart and fatherly role to Huck, Twain proves the insignificant need to judge a person based on their skin color, overall proving the ignorance in racism.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In contemporary society, people’s personalities often change based on the environment that surrounds them. These personalities affect society for the better or worse as they influence others. Contemporary society has the same conflict between societal rules and natural rules as illustrated by the differences of rules between life on the river and life on land for Huckleberry Finn. In pre-Civil War America, society was greatly influenced by convention. When Huck is around other people on shore, he follows convention instead of following his own innate behavior. Huck most expresses his natural side…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays