Huckleberry Finn's Moral Development

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In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck is introduced as a boy without his father living with Miss Watson. When Pap comes back, Huck escapes and lives on an island where he meets Jim and they ride along the Mississippi River to help Jim, a runaway slave, escape. Huck’s moral choices change through conflict throughout his journey. Twain’s bildungsroman shows Huckleberry Finn’s moral development through Huck's gradual exposure to what he perceives as his role.

The beginning of Huck’s moral development is when Twain introduces characters who try to enculturate Huck. As Huck tried to smoke, Mrs. Watson denied his request and stated that it “wasn’t clean” (2). Huck “couldn’t see no advantage” accepting what was right
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After Huck plays a trick on Jim, he instantly regrets his decision because he wouldn’t have done it if Jim would “feel that way” towards it (86). In the middle of Huck’s journey, he encounters some men and hides Jim but he lies to the men and tells them that Jim’s “white” to protect him (90). Since Jim is thankful for what Huck as done, he tells Huck that he’s “de only fren’” he had making Huck reflect on his views (89). Twain creates Jim as a foil character to be a role model in Huck’s life to demonstrate Huck’s moral development. From time to time, Huck was tempted to turn Jim in knowing that it was illegal for him to help Jim but doesn’t because he likes Jim as a friend. Thus, Twain displays Huck’s sacrifice he is making to highlight the moral dilemma that reoccurs throughout the story between what is moral and legal. Huck values the friendship between him and Jim rather than his color which is a sign of …show more content…
After killing a man, a mob greeted Sherburn to lynch him but Sherburn questioned the mob and the values of the society whether or not it would allow them to lay “hands on a man” (146). No one responds and in the end, the mob goes away so Twain is making fun of the society in a way to teach Huck about how the society functions by their values. Sooner or later, Huck and Jim both encounter the Duke and the Dauphine who were obviously fakes but Huck still “let them have their own way” and doesn’t tell Jim because he knows it is better to keep his mouth shut (125). By not telling Jim, Huck is learning to live and interact with people and inside the society. His actions demonstrate that he is doing it for the benefit of others, which shows moral development. By learning from the past, Huck uses his knowledge accordingly signifying his character and moral development. Twain’s bildungsroman depicts a protagonist who notices these values of society as an individual. Overall, Huck became more independent and made his own valuable choices to help other people. Jim is one of the main characters who helps Huck mature throughout the book as Huck overcame the societal views of slaves. In the end, Twain’s purpose was to express individuality and

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