Huck Finn: Society v. Conscience
Huckleberry Finn:
Research/Literary Analysis Paper
We all had those moments where we loved Huck, and those moments that we weren’t quite sure what to think of Huck’s actions. However, I am sure that whoever the reader, we all were cheering for Huck. We wanted him to do what was right and go against society, follow his conscience, be bold in a new way! Finally, the moment we were all waiting for, Huck finally decides to follow his conscience. As Huck debates with himself, whether to send the letter (that he wrote) to Miss Watson and tell her about her runaway slave or to stay a loyal friend to Jim, he decides the latter. Not only does he decide to stay a loyal friend to Jim but he tears up the letter and says, “All right then, I’ll go to hell.” At this moment Huck decides to follow his conscience instead of the prevailing pressures of society. The climaxing moment when Huck submits to, “hell” may also be referred to as the moral climax for Huck. To understand and appreciate Huck’s actions, we must first understand the time period in which Huck was living in. I don’t think we realize the kind of social pressures Huck was feeling at the time he wrote and tore up the letter to Miss Watson. Written in the pre-civil war era, blacks were not seen equal to whites. They were property, rightfully owned by their masters. People believed if you stole or helped a runaway slave, then it would be like stealing another man’s property. Obviously, Huck is struggling with the moral pressures of society (that was being taught at the time) and what he felt was right. He watched Jim care for him, as he took Huck’s watches on the raft, was genuinely concerned when they were separated and when Jim risked being caught (as a runaway slave). But Huck also felt an obligation to Miss Watson because he had taken her slave. When the time came for Huck to either send the letter to Miss Watson (revealing Jim’s whereabouts) or to help his friend, Jim, the reader might have been wondering
Research/Literary Analysis Paper
We all had those moments where we loved Huck, and those moments that we weren’t quite sure what to think of Huck’s actions. However, I am sure that whoever the reader, we all were cheering for Huck. We wanted him to do what was right and go against society, follow his conscience, be bold in a new way! Finally, the moment we were all waiting for, Huck finally decides to follow his conscience. As Huck debates with himself, whether to send the letter (that he wrote) to Miss Watson and tell her about her runaway slave or to stay a loyal friend to Jim, he decides the latter. Not only does he decide to stay a loyal friend to Jim but he tears up the letter and says, “All right then, I’ll go to hell.” At this moment Huck decides to follow his conscience instead of the prevailing pressures of society. The climaxing moment when Huck submits to, “hell” may also be referred to as the moral climax for Huck. To understand and appreciate Huck’s actions, we must first understand the time period in which Huck was living in. I don’t think we realize the kind of social pressures Huck was feeling at the time he wrote and tore up the letter to Miss Watson. Written in the pre-civil war era, blacks were not seen equal to whites. They were property, rightfully owned by their masters. People believed if you stole or helped a runaway slave, then it would be like stealing another man’s property. Obviously, Huck is struggling with the moral pressures of society (that was being taught at the time) and what he felt was right. He watched Jim care for him, as he took Huck’s watches on the raft, was genuinely concerned when they were separated and when Jim risked being caught (as a runaway slave). But Huck also felt an obligation to Miss Watson because he had taken her slave. When the time came for Huck to either send the letter to Miss Watson (revealing Jim’s whereabouts) or to help his friend, Jim, the reader might have been wondering