Survival, when compromised, is able to trump all other moral dilemmas. This is due to the fact that marring one’s reputation is negligible when compared to losing one’s well-being. So it is no surprise seemingly sordid actions, when taken out of context, are committed when perilous situations arise. The same can be said for the titular character in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Through all the confrontations that come with running away, Huck Finn defaults to lying in order to escape any life-threatening experience, whether it be his own or Jim’s life. However, by also outlining instances where survival is not an issue, Twain highlights the duality of lies. On its own, deception is unethical as it strips away the integrity of
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From the outset of their role in the novel, they are stuck in a web of deceit and only further their situation by swindling more and more citizens. Their first plan has them rob a religious gathering, where the king captures the congregation’s pity with a concocted story about his life as a moneyless pirate and then goes “through the crowd with his hat swabbing his eyes, and blessing the people and praising them and thanking them for being so good to the poor pirates away off there” (Twain 121). Even though the action is wrong on its own, Twain highlights it through the environment present. Religion is sacrosanct to its followers and treating it as something that can be used for one’s personal benefit goes against their devotion. There is no redeemable quality about this lie since the money gained was not necessary to the group on the raft. Instead, the king allowed himself to exploit others’ generosity and in turn exposed his own depravity. However, money is not always the intended product when it comes to lying, leaving room for more just uses of …show more content…
The most potent example of this is when the boy comes to the aid of Jim. After two slave catchers intercept the raft, Finn speaks cryptically until he first has them believe that Jim is his father and then makes them reach the conclusion that his “pap’s got the small-pox, and you know it precious well” (Twain 84). This is a watershed moment for Huck because with his hoodwink, he is not only preserving someone’s way of life, he is breaking the color barrier that was so integral to his time period. He had the direct choice of letting the men take Jim or not and, in fact, giving in would have been the acceptable action since slavery was seen as a necessary institution of life. If he had not stepped up, Jim’s health would certainly have been compromised both physically and mentally, as slaves endured backbreaking work in the South. Yet, even in this honorable action, there is a hint at the side effects of lies on even the most principled minds. After successfully detterring the men from checking on the canoe, Huck does not stop the men from giving him money. His succumbing to another sin, as he is stealing from them at this point, reveals that he has been swept up into the lies. Further on, Huck is taken away entirely, when Twain introduces instances where he abandons any honor when
From the outset of their role in the novel, they are stuck in a web of deceit and only further their situation by swindling more and more citizens. Their first plan has them rob a religious gathering, where the king captures the congregation’s pity with a concocted story about his life as a moneyless pirate and then goes “through the crowd with his hat swabbing his eyes, and blessing the people and praising them and thanking them for being so good to the poor pirates away off there” (Twain 121). Even though the action is wrong on its own, Twain highlights it through the environment present. Religion is sacrosanct to its followers and treating it as something that can be used for one’s personal benefit goes against their devotion. There is no redeemable quality about this lie since the money gained was not necessary to the group on the raft. Instead, the king allowed himself to exploit others’ generosity and in turn exposed his own depravity. However, money is not always the intended product when it comes to lying, leaving room for more just uses of …show more content…
The most potent example of this is when the boy comes to the aid of Jim. After two slave catchers intercept the raft, Finn speaks cryptically until he first has them believe that Jim is his father and then makes them reach the conclusion that his “pap’s got the small-pox, and you know it precious well” (Twain 84). This is a watershed moment for Huck because with his hoodwink, he is not only preserving someone’s way of life, he is breaking the color barrier that was so integral to his time period. He had the direct choice of letting the men take Jim or not and, in fact, giving in would have been the acceptable action since slavery was seen as a necessary institution of life. If he had not stepped up, Jim’s health would certainly have been compromised both physically and mentally, as slaves endured backbreaking work in the South. Yet, even in this honorable action, there is a hint at the side effects of lies on even the most principled minds. After successfully detterring the men from checking on the canoe, Huck does not stop the men from giving him money. His succumbing to another sin, as he is stealing from them at this point, reveals that he has been swept up into the lies. Further on, Huck is taken away entirely, when Twain introduces instances where he abandons any honor when