How Is Huckleberry Finn Selfish

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a revolutionary book that shows the development of Huckleberry Finn through constant self-evaluation. Huck starts off as a rowdy boy who joins a band of make-believe bandits led by his dear friend Tom Sawyer to a mature adolescent who considers that his actions will affect others. He learns that he is not a vagabond living for adventure but a compassionate, moral young man. Even though this change is subconscious, it is crucial in making him a better person because it shapes him into a mature person, especially when compared to his past reflected in Tom. The first monumental change is marked by Huck surpassing his racist upbringing and becoming compassionate for a fugitive slave, Jim. At …show more content…
Tom, sticking to his books, proposes to cut off Jim’s foot in order to rescue him. Huck quickly shuts this down scolding, “‘... there ain’t no necessity for it. And what would you want to saw his leg off for, anyway?’”(Twain 241). Huck transcends the barrier between fiction and nonfiction while Tom remains static in his storybooks. Tom still views him as a character in his grand scheme of helping a slave runaway, bearing in mind that Jim was already set free, while Huck saw him as a friend stuck in an unimaginable adversity. This is a great change in Huck as he understands that cutting off Jim’s leg will end Jim’s goal of reaching freedom and being able to rescue his family. Additionally, he learns to be sensitive to others in regards to his actions. Tom’s plan would disable Jim, thus ruining his life, but it would not have an effect on Tom so he does not see it as an issue. However, Huck, now matured, sees that if he does proceed with this atrocity, then Jim will forever be maimed: Huck’s action would ruin Jim’s life. This understanding transforms Huck from an immature boy to a mature adolescent who can view the world apart from …show more content…
Jim, an otherwise unthinkable companion, became his friend, and better said his family; the Wilks orphans taught Huck that his actions will determine the fate of others around him as shown when he stops Tom from cutting Jim’s leg. Huck’s adventures are undoubtedly filled with danger and excitement, but for him, it is more than a physical journey— it is his quest to find himself. Out in the real world, he learns that he cares for others and he will do whatever it takes to preserve his morals. In the end, he truly becomes like the heroes from the books Tom used to tell him about: compassionate and