Theme Of Morality In Huckleberry Finn

Morality is beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior, and it is very hard to possess. Many critics have commented stating that Huckleberry Finn does not portray good morals in the last twelve chapters of the novel, and many have affirmed the idea that his moral growth resonates throughout his adventures. Huckleberry grows into an admirable character as seen through his actions associated with Jim’s freedom, his interaction with the Duke and Dauphin, and finally through his revelation of Jim’s humanity.

Many readers believe that the last twelve chapters of the novel portrays Huckleberry as a un-admirable character. The last twelve chapters of the novel portray abusive and derogatory actions by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry …show more content…
Huckleberry exclaims, “I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind 's made up; I 'll hive that money for them or bust.” Huck has made up his mind to hide the money from the Duke and Dauphin because he felt very bad for the sisters, who would have been cheated out of money. He takes the money from he Duke and Dauphin and hides it in the coffin. Huck is showing moral progression because he is able to differentiate between right and wrong, and he does what is morally correct to keep the money away from the con artists. He exhibits sympathy towards the girls, and as a result does what is best for them even by putting himself at risk to get into trouble with the Duke and Dauphin. In his final interaction with the Duke and Dauphin, Huck states, “I didn 't want no trouble with their kind. I 'd seen all I wanted to of them, and wanted to get entirely shut of them.” Huck wanted to be rid of the Duke and Dauphin because he knows the immoral acts they commit. He does not want to be part of their games, such as the Nonesuch Show, anymore. Huck did not like the way the two men took advantage of people such as the Wilks sisters when they were trying to steal their inheritance, and his ability to distinguish between right and wrong provides ample strength to decide to leave the men for good. He makes a good decision morally to get rid of them, which exhibits his moral qualities. He knows how awful it was of the Duke and Dauphin to scam people out of their money, and he wanted to stay away. Dudley Barlow states, “[Twain] assails greed when these two cons try to steal Wilks girls ' inheritance. Twain has fun in these sendups and raises Huck 's moral awareness at the same time.” Overall, Huckleberry’s morals grow through his interaction with scam artists of the time, the Duke and