What Is The Significance Of Friendship In Huckleberry Finn

In his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain tackles the issues of Slavery in the United States (specifically the South). Twain does so by telling the story of a thirteen year old white boy named Huck Finn and his adventures with Jim, a black slave. It is important to note that Mark Twain wrote this book two decades after the Emancipation Proclamation, and while this abolished Slavery, racism was still a real problem of the South. Moreover, Twain establishes the significance of friendship in the novel. Through events such as Huck’s ‘band of robbers’ known as ‘Tom Sawyer’s Gang’ to his growing compassion towards Jim, it is clear that Huck treats friendship as a very serious matter his life. Twain maintains the significance of …show more content…
At this point in the novel, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer have formed a ‘gang’. Their gang’s first rule is set by saying, “Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood” (17). It is imperative to note the intensity of this rule. The action of writing your name in blood is the first reveal into the loyalty that Huck possesses. Furthermore, it is apparent that in order to establish the significance of friendship in this novel, Twain must begin with an extreme practice of it. Additionally, this event reveals the strength of friendship that can occur within the novel. Moreoever, Huck has to comply with another rule of the ‘gang’, “They talked it over, and they was to rule me out, because they said every boy must have a family or somebody to kill...so I offered them Ms. Watson–they could kill her...” (17-18). Huck is in no way, related to Ms. Watson, but confirms that Ms. Watson is the equivalent to a family member. Because Huck offers Ms. Watson to be killed, this reveals how far Huck will go to preserve the friendship of the other boys in his ‘gang’. Huck also claims that he was almost, “ready to cry” (18) when the boys say he cannot be in the gang without a family member. Furthermore this is passage reveals the extent in which all the boys are willing to go in order to preserve the friendship amongst them and how they all place their value on friendship …show more content…
It was during this time that Huck was considering writing to Mrs. Watson to tell her where Jim was. Instead of writing the letter, Huck’s internal conflict took over, “But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, 'stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now; and then I happened to look around and see that paper” (209). Huck, who was once mistrusting of Jim, has now developed a deeper friendship with Jim. Huck cannot get over the fact that Jim has called him his “best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now”. Huck is reflecting upon his adventures with Jim and cannot find any things to “harden me against him”. Jim’s care and gratefulness towards Huck is something that Huck values in their friendship. Twain has been able to reveal the significance of Jim’s