Huck Finn's Maturation

Maturation is something that every person in their lifetime must go through in order to grow in their way of life and in their beliefs. It is seen many times that some people mature faster or slower than others. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck goes on a journey to freedom with Jim and along that journey he matures drastically because of it. Along this journey, Huck is escaping from society’s expectations and rules, since his beliefs are not in line with those of society’s. This quest to freedom confirmed that Huck’s beliefs were the correct way and what society believed was right, was actually the crueler way of life. Although many will argue that Huck’s journey to freedom was not vital to his maturation, it actually was extremely …show more content…
Despite the fact that Huck is so young and some would argue his journey is too dangerous, but it is necessary for his maturation because he was able to develop his own viewpoints society.
Being so young and having to care for himself and Jim, while helping Jim escape from slavery was a huge step in maturing. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a coming of age novel and it shows how Huck grew throughout his journey. The article, “Irony and Moral Development in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” covers the entire novel in just a few pages and shows different events in how Huck has matured. While explaining the coming of age process, the author states, “He does, nonetheless, come of age by developing as a moral agent, as someone who is capable of acting beyond his own self interest for the interests of others” (Banta 191-207).When children are very young they tend to only think about themselves and no one …show more content…
While Huck and Jim were on the raft going down the river, they see two runaway men who they eventually take with them on their journey. After a few hours with the King and the Duke, Huck states, “It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds” (Twain 136). It can be inferred that Twain is trying showing how the King and the Duke represent corrupt government leaders. Many people believe that leaders always have a positive impact on society, but in reality many do not. By Huck stating that the King and the Duke are frauds it shows that corrupt leaders are easily spotted in society. Meeting the King and the Duke was one way Huck was able to distinguish the difference between a truth and a lie. A time in the novel where Huck knows where he needs to tell the truth is when the King and the Duke rob the Wilks girls. Just after the King and the Duke rob the girls, Huck feels it is necessary to tell them that they have been robbed and states, “I says to myself, I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight place is taking