Throughout Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Huck struggles to follow his moral conscience for fear of abandoning the societal values that he had been taught to abide by. When he first travels with Jim along the Mississippi River, he considers it a sin to help an escaped slave because he is breaking the laws of Southern society. While contemplating his ethical conflict he is reminded of Miss Watson, his pessimistic caretaker and Jim's owner. Huck asks himself, "What had poor Miss Watson done to you that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you that you could treat her so mean?" (Twain 88). Even though Huck feels that Jim deserves to live freely, Huck is apprehensive toward assisting him because he fears violating societal principles and treating Miss Watson disrespectfully. Nevertheless, Huck
Throughout Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Huck struggles to follow his moral conscience for fear of abandoning the societal values that he had been taught to abide by. When he first travels with Jim along the Mississippi River, he considers it a sin to help an escaped slave because he is breaking the laws of Southern society. While contemplating his ethical conflict he is reminded of Miss Watson, his pessimistic caretaker and Jim's owner. Huck asks himself, "What had poor Miss Watson done to you that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you that you could treat her so mean?" (Twain 88). Even though Huck feels that Jim deserves to live freely, Huck is apprehensive toward assisting him because he fears violating societal principles and treating Miss Watson disrespectfully. Nevertheless, Huck