Huck Finn
Alex Michalopoulos
American Lit. Honors Period 2
Friday December 21, 2012
Humanity vs. Conscience
“I couldn’t ever ben free ef it hadn’ ben for Huck; [he] done it. Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ [I have] ever has; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now,” (Twain 88-89) Throughout Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he puts a heavy emphasis on the relationship of a white adolescent and a black middle aged, father-figured slave. As the novel progresses, Huck debates whether the morals Miss Watson and widow Douglas teach him, abandoning a true friend, are correct or if he should follow his own conscience, which tells him not to desert someone whom is trustworthy and an excellent companion. This young white boy originally learns from these two women that African American slaves are only suppose to work; however, as Huck befriends Miss Watson’s slave, Jim, Huck goes against the original morals that were imbedding in his head by Miss Watson. He takes a stand and runs away with Jim to make a better life for them both. Throughout Huck and Jim’s adventures and struggles, society tests their relationship while their own conscience affects major decisions they make towards each other. Over the years, Huck accumulates information from Miss Watson and widow Douglas about how the slaves are on a lower scale than the white folks. Widow Douglas teaches Huck a version of her outlook on society, but Huck never seems to be interested and has his own view about humanity. They continuously remind him that he needs to have a proper education, yet Huck refuses to listen. He never wants to obey widow Douglas because he believes she acts as a hypocrite. Huck is in dire need of a smoke, but widow Douglas says “…[smoking] was mean practice and [it] wasn’t clean…and she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she had done it herself,” (2). While she says this, she lights up right in front of him. These women could not care less about
American Lit. Honors Period 2
Friday December 21, 2012
Humanity vs. Conscience
“I couldn’t ever ben free ef it hadn’ ben for Huck; [he] done it. Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ [I have] ever has; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now,” (Twain 88-89) Throughout Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he puts a heavy emphasis on the relationship of a white adolescent and a black middle aged, father-figured slave. As the novel progresses, Huck debates whether the morals Miss Watson and widow Douglas teach him, abandoning a true friend, are correct or if he should follow his own conscience, which tells him not to desert someone whom is trustworthy and an excellent companion. This young white boy originally learns from these two women that African American slaves are only suppose to work; however, as Huck befriends Miss Watson’s slave, Jim, Huck goes against the original morals that were imbedding in his head by Miss Watson. He takes a stand and runs away with Jim to make a better life for them both. Throughout Huck and Jim’s adventures and struggles, society tests their relationship while their own conscience affects major decisions they make towards each other. Over the years, Huck accumulates information from Miss Watson and widow Douglas about how the slaves are on a lower scale than the white folks. Widow Douglas teaches Huck a version of her outlook on society, but Huck never seems to be interested and has his own view about humanity. They continuously remind him that he needs to have a proper education, yet Huck refuses to listen. He never wants to obey widow Douglas because he believes she acts as a hypocrite. Huck is in dire need of a smoke, but widow Douglas says “…[smoking] was mean practice and [it] wasn’t clean…and she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she had done it herself,” (2). While she says this, she lights up right in front of him. These women could not care less about