Over the years, opinions of everyday have changed. As the times change so do the ideals of individuals. But every so often, there are people who go against the ideals of their time and society. A great example of such a person is demonstrated in the main character of Mark Twain 's novel The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. The main character Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a young boy from a destitute upbringing in the 1800s who fakes his own death to escape his abusive father Pap. Soon after his escape, Huck finds Jim, a runaway slave, whom he befriends and embarks on an adventure in the search for freedom. Throughout the novel, Huck 's opinion of the world is shown through his narration of his experiences. Three topics that Huck gives his insight
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His view of humanity in his day and age are against the social norms of the time. He shows humanity towards those whom most people do not deem worthy of it. The main viewpoint that he possesses that is odd for his time period is sympathy for Jim. In the story, Jim is a runaway slave that Huck befriends early in his adventure. Like any white person in his time, Huck at first thinks of his abetting Jim as stealing because Jim is considered property. But as the story progresses, he may still remains divided, but continues to help Jim because, according to Twain, Huck would still feel badly if he turns him in (106). And by the end of the novel, Huck "knowed he was white inside" (Twain 300). This is to say that Huck considers Jim an equal despite his outward appearance. Huck, in his time period, does the unthinkable by saving and then befriending a black man. Another instance Huck shows humanity is with the men trying to kill another man on a wrecked ship. Because he feels terrible for leaving the killers to die on the wrecked ship, Twain writes, Huck eventually sends someone to save them from peril (85). To most, two men who were about to kill another man do not deserve such sympathy, yet Huck shows them it because his conscience dictates him to do so. The next way that Huck shows humanity is with the Wilks sisters. The duke and the king pretend to be the brothers of the deceased Peter Wilks in an effort to steal the money from his daughters, Mary Jane, Susan, and Joanna. However, according to Twain, Huck feels so guilty about the plot that he reveals the plan to Mary Jane Wilks and resolves to steal the money back for the girls (206). The last people that Huck expresses humanity towards are the duke of Bridgewater and the king of France. Huck knows they are conmen, knows that they are lying about being a duke and a king, and knows that they sell Jim for forty dollars, yet he sympathizes
His view of humanity in his day and age are against the social norms of the time. He shows humanity towards those whom most people do not deem worthy of it. The main viewpoint that he possesses that is odd for his time period is sympathy for Jim. In the story, Jim is a runaway slave that Huck befriends early in his adventure. Like any white person in his time, Huck at first thinks of his abetting Jim as stealing because Jim is considered property. But as the story progresses, he may still remains divided, but continues to help Jim because, according to Twain, Huck would still feel badly if he turns him in (106). And by the end of the novel, Huck "knowed he was white inside" (Twain 300). This is to say that Huck considers Jim an equal despite his outward appearance. Huck, in his time period, does the unthinkable by saving and then befriending a black man. Another instance Huck shows humanity is with the men trying to kill another man on a wrecked ship. Because he feels terrible for leaving the killers to die on the wrecked ship, Twain writes, Huck eventually sends someone to save them from peril (85). To most, two men who were about to kill another man do not deserve such sympathy, yet Huck shows them it because his conscience dictates him to do so. The next way that Huck shows humanity is with the Wilks sisters. The duke and the king pretend to be the brothers of the deceased Peter Wilks in an effort to steal the money from his daughters, Mary Jane, Susan, and Joanna. However, according to Twain, Huck feels so guilty about the plot that he reveals the plan to Mary Jane Wilks and resolves to steal the money back for the girls (206). The last people that Huck expresses humanity towards are the duke of Bridgewater and the king of France. Huck knows they are conmen, knows that they are lying about being a duke and a king, and knows that they sell Jim for forty dollars, yet he sympathizes