Huck finn's character has changed throughout the book in major ways. From the beginning Huck Finn has always been an outcast and is the son of the town drunk , he allows his friends to influence him and he never realized that slaves deserve to be treated like humans. Over time Huck Finn learns valuable lessons and his character changes. Well make a band of robbers can call it Tom Sawyer's gang(17). In the beginning Huck Finn was a very mischievous boy, but he didn't know any better because he'd grown up thinking that his actions were okay because he'd had a father who was the worst character in the book. The band of robbers shows how Huck Finn's character was in the beginning. We dropped the things we stole(71). In the beginning Huck believes…
Set in a pre-civil war time period, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is overall controversial and symbolic of a greater moral that is heavily present in this society. During this time was a large separation of North and South over the ethics of slavery and the morals of the enslaved population. During this story the protagonist, Huck Finn, makes a very important ethical decision upon whether he should or should not turn in Jim, a runaway slave. Huck has a moment of moral liberation and searches the social and religious principles of society. By having to think about these things when making a decision such as this, it can be said that this society is backwards. Mark Twain suggests that society is morally wrong with what they believe is right, their opinion of civilized and has a faulty logic.…
First and foremost, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn elucidates the treatment of African Americans during the Southern antebellum. A succinct and ideal model of the treatment is when Tom’s aunt asked if anybody was hurt if a steamboat accident fabricated by Huck, who is pretending to be Tom, to explain why he was late, Huck states “‘No’m. Killed a nigger’” (Twain 328). The statement insinuates that African Americans at the time were not considered as human beings; rather, African Americans were considered as individuals that are subhuman. In the latter parts of the book, after Jim, a runaway slave, helps the doctor treat Tom, who was shot in the leg, “[The men] all agreed that Jim had acted very well, and was deserving to have some notice took of it, and reward. So every one of them promised, right out and hearty, that [the men] wouldn’t cuss him no more” (Twain 423). This so-called “reward”, is something most, if not all of the audience already has as a right, suggesting that Jim is considered a subhuman since he has to be rewarded with a right that many already have. Twain utilizes a plethora of actions to…
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy named Huckleberry Finn runs away from his life and travels down the Mississippi River with his friend Jim, a runaway slave. The story follows Huck 's moral growth and maturity throughout his many adventures and experiences. The major turning point of the book is when Huck realizes that Jim cares about him, and that he cares about Jim in return. As a child, Huck is taught that Jim isn 't a person because of his skin color and that he does not deserve respect, but Huck discovers that Jim is a person and deserves more respect than most people Huckleberry met on his journeys. He comes to this decision because Jim cares for him and treats Huck better than his own father. Huck says “All right, then, I 'll go to hell.” when he decides to go against the racist teachings of his childhood and help Jim get his freedom (Twain 216-217). The book was written to show what life was like in the 1840s and successfully revealed the way people viewed each other and people of other races. In the beginning of the story, Huck treats Jim poorly because he is taught that…
was merely part of the vernacular of Southern culture during the 1800's not a cacophonous wordand not strictly a racist term. It further illustrates that twain recognized the evils of racism.As shown in the drunken charter of pap. Huck Finn was abused by his father allthroughout his childhood. He lived in constant fear of his surroundings (occasionally even beingincarcerated in a shed for days) and didn't lead an exactly normal life. When he finally decides toget out of his predicament and stages his own death, he meets up with Jim on Jackson's island.When Huck first meets Jim on the Island he makes a monumental decision, not to turn Jim in.Two opposing forces, the force of society and the force of his personal conscience confront him.He is forced to decide whether turning Jim in is the right thing to do. The law tells him that hemust betray his friend, but his conscience tells him to question this law. He chooses, as he doesmany other times in the book, to continue helping Jim to obtain his freedom despite the fact thatit seems immoral to him. Many times, throughout the novel, Huck comes very close torationalizing Jim's slavery. However, he is never able to see a reason why this man, who has become one of his only friends, should be a slave. Through this internal struggle, Twainexpresses his opinions of the absurdity of slavery and the importance of following one's personalconscience before the laws of society. By the end of the novel, Huck and the reader have come tounderstand that Jim is not someone's property and an inferior man, but an equal. Which is ironic because in the beginning of the book Huck thought blacks were almost stupid-like “(p. 6) Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark…Jim was ruined” But, in the end Huck realizes he could never betray his friend, Jim, who has risked his life for Huck and who has become the closest friend Huck ever had and will ever have.Another time Twain demonstrates the immorality of slavery is during…
Twain shows Jim’s experiences of suffering for Huck in this novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to demonstrate Jim’s humanity even as a slave. During this time period, African Americans were regarded as property in accordance with text in the Old Testament. In this novel, the equality was only apparent on the Mississippi river. The river represents equality wherein Huck and Jim treat each other as equals. It is not until they reach land that they are bound by societal norms that limit their interactions. Even then, Jim and Huck still have a caring relationship, with Twain’s use of the novel as his medium showing his contempt for society.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a book about the injustice of slavery and racism in the South. The novel details the experiences of Huck Finn, a thirteen year old white boy, and Jim, a black slave, who each escape in search of freedom. While Huck is escaping from a drunk, abusive father, Jim is escaping from slavery in order to prevent his owner from selling him. There is much debate over whether or not the book is racist. While many believe that Huckleberry Finn is a racist text due to the overuse of racial comments and inappropriate language throughout the novel, Huckleberry Finn is actually not racist because the book is about a boy who overcomes his racist upbringing by becoming acquainted with a slave.…
In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the author Mark Twain critiques the 19th century society. He does this by making multiple comments about racism. To help develop Twian’s comment on racism he uses Irony, Satire, and Conflict. In the novel the idea is given that blacks are less superior than the white man. If a black was to have certain actions, such as being smart or kind, everyone is surprised because blacks are viewed almost as if they are animals. Twain also makes many remarks about how if a black does act like that, that they are acting white and not just being themselves. Society feels that racism is just a way of life in the 19th century, however Huck grows very close to a runaway slave named Jim, and throughout their journey…
Twain realized this problem and felt the need to speak out against slavery and the offshoot of prejudice that followed, making him write The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. During their adventure, Huckleberry Finn decides that it would be funny to play a trick on Jim when they get separated in the fog one night. Huck sees how much his trick hurt Jim and feels awful about it. Huck apologized to Jim and thought to himself, “I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither” (Twain 65). This powerful scene in the book shows Huck, a white boy, apologizing and feeling awful about tricking a black man. During the time of the stories release, it would not have been common for a white boy to apologize and explain himself to a black man. The scene where Huck rips up his letter, one of the most powerful scenes within the book, also has a major abolitionist tone. At this point, Huck can not decide between turning in Jim or not doing anything and leaving the situation alone. After days of…
Throughout the novel Jim is portrayed and described, sadly, as one of the few good-willed-people who has good intentions in Huckleberry Finn. Although Jim is the most patient and caring of Huck in their adventures, he is suppressed and blamed for many of their misfortunes simply because of his background. Twain purposefully constructed Jim in such a way that his actions contrasted how society perceived him, proving that often times people are easily the opposite of how they appear. Twain conveys the fact that Jim has good intentions despite risks when he helps Tom after he 's been shot, even though he will undoubtedly be caught. The doctor even notes that "[Jim] was a better nuss or faithfuler, and yet he was risking his freedom to do it, and was all tired out, too"(Twain 285). Surprisingly, Twain also made it very apparent that Jim had a very kind heart for those around him when Jim pleads to Huck "[When I] went to sleep, my heart wuz mos ' broke bekase you wuz los ', en I didn 't k 'yer no ' mo ' what become er me en de raf"(Twain 85). Jim 's actions and even his speech create this image that Jim is not well set to be a part of American society, but that doesn 't change the fact that he is very human and has an excellent ethical standing in how he treats others. In addition Jim is a runaway slave, so the obvious metaphor to slavery is made, and it is important to note that Jim never resists any…
In Mark Twains' The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the main character Huck, makes two very important decisions. The first one is how he treats Jim when he first meets him at Jackson's Island and the second is to tear up the letter to Miss Watson because he cares deeply for Jim. When Huck first runs away from Pap he goes to Jackson's Island and thinks that he is the only person there. He soon finds out that this is not true, and that "Miss Watsons Jim"1 , is taking crap there as well. Many people would hate to be alone on an island with a "nigger"2 , but Huck is happy to have someone to talk with. At first Jim thinks he sees Hucks ghost and is scared. Huck gets Jims feelings by changing the subject and saying "It's good daylight, le's get breakfast"3 , showing that Huck is not only real but he does not mind that Jim is black. Jim feels that Huck might tell on him for running away, but he then decides that it will be okay to tell him why he ran away from Miss Watson. Jim keeps asking Huck if he is going to tell anyone about his running away, and Huck say's "People would call me a low down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum but that don't make no difference I aint gonna tell"4 . Hucks response truly shows that his ignorance has no showing over his kindness. When taken into consideration good decisions are much more important in the long run than being the smartest person. After traveling with Jim for quite some time Huck begins to feel bad about harboring a runaway slave. He decides to write a letter to Miss Watson explaining the whole story, because Jim had been sold and he does not know where he is. Huck was indeed confused about what he should do so he dropped he dropped to his knees and began to pray. He felt by helping Jim he was committing a sin, but he later realized "you can't pray a lie"5 . Huck saying this shows that he feels what he has done for Jim is not wrong; instead what others had done to Jim is wrong. Still not sure of what to do about the…
No one scolds Tom for the poor treatment of Jim, not even Huck. This is because technically, Jim is free, but not everyone will always view him as such. Twain uses this as a reminder that racism can and does still exist, even if we are all technically equal. Tom is so caught up in his own agenda and achievements that he forgets to recognize his mistreatment of others. He has grown up and learned to only look out for himself. And whether you are Tom, who is selfish, or Huck, who is too afraid to speak out, we can all relate to this imperfect reality in one way or another.…
The Old South’s way of life deformed the consciences of the people living there, convincing them of the humanity of slavery. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tells the story of Huck Finn, a young redneck boy, who finds friendship in a runaway slave named Jim, despite his own racist background. Though Huck and Jim bond throughout their journey, Huck struggles to overcome the way he was raised and see Jim as a person capable of feelings and emotions. Throughout his journey down the Mississippi, Huck is faced with challenges where he must decide Jim’s fate, but as his bond with Jim grows stronger, he begins to unlearn the racist views he was taught. He begins to mature and follow his heart when he apologizes to Jim, decides not to turn him in, and when he finally has the epiphany that he would rather rot in Hell than turn in his best friend.…
Mark Twain shows the reader how the institution of slavery is morally wrong by using racism, human inequality, and the encroaching on personal freedom. In the beginning, Huck treats Jim like nothing but property in the novel. Later throughout the story he treats Jim with care. Huck helps show his love for Jim when he lies to Jim about being lost in the fog and telling Jim that he had ‘“dreamt it, because there didn’t any of that happen” (Twain 86). Because Huck cares for Jim, he eventually tells the truth and sets it right between them. Another example is when Huck is trying to explain the Solemn and The Baby story to Jim, but he “see it weren’t no use wasting words, you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quit” (Twain 104). Even though Huck likes Jim as a friend, Twain still makes him use his stereotypical southern morals to express his frustration for Jim. Twain shows that Huck wants to help Jim, but he is struggling because he is not sure if he should listen to his conscience or the law. Eventually Huck decides to help Jim. Twain uses Jim to show the theft of the most basic human right, freedom. Jim is the perfect example of how slavery can steal or take away the human ownership of a life. It also strips them of human rights. Miss.Watson and all of southern society is satirized as the racist, strict, and crude ideal that “sees her nigger go right off and under her eyes and…
Tom shows himself to have many faults in Huckleberry Finn, including the failure to tell everyone that Jim was actually a free man and not a slave. The failure to tell everyone that Jim was a free man causes Jim to be treated worse than a normal slave, "Turn him loose! He ain’t no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth! Old Miss Watson died 2 months ago"(289). Tom proves himself to be a questionable character in terms of trust and honesty and he has both these characteristics to a fault. By keeping the fact that Jim is a free black man away from him, he knowingly causes bad things to happen to Jim. However, when Tom gets shot and Jim saves his life, he admits the fact that Jim is free and Jim is repaid to a degree for what he had been through. This shows how Tom’s views are very self centered in that he wants glory in actually saving Jim instead of just allowing him to be free. Being shot and having Jim save his life, allows Tom to see the fact that maybe he doesn't need the glory provided in saving Jim. Rather than attaining glory, he can instead free his friend who was already, technically, already free. Being shot is not exactly natural, but as a result of being in nature, Tom sees a new view of life when his life hangs in the balance, which allows his views to change. Overall, Tom changes his original views of being a hero and instead, sets his friend…