Huck Finn's Influence On Society

During the pre-civil war era, southern America was prevalent with slavery and racism towards African Americans. As a result, young children would be exposed to the racism and generate hate directed towards the slaves. This ideology heavily influenced the protagonist, Huck, in the novel even though his natural instinct told him that the slave hunters and owners were in the wrong for their intentions towards a slave named Jim. Huck constantly second guesses himself; hence, he is unsure of what to do in most situations until he is put on the spot, then thinking impulsively, he makes the better decision. Many times in the novel, the setting has a large negative influence on Huck through the law, the way of life, and the opinions of the other characters
For example, Huck's father thought Huck should not be educated and just learn how to live off the land in the woods. Huck enjoyed this and it helped him to not pick up any racial prejudice that he could have gotten from mainland society. This helps Huck when he leaves Pap's shed and runs away. He meets Jim and helps him survive in the wild. Many of the families that Huck meets in the book are feuding or are duped by the duke and the King. In the feud between the Grangerford's and the Sheapardson's, Huck experiences firsthand how the two families fight just because they have feuded for so long prior to that point. Huck is told by Buck after questioning how the feud started: “Oh, yes, pa knows, I reckon, and some of the other old people; but they don't know now what the row was about in the first place” (Twain 18). This feud is so extreme that even in church they are ready to fight if they encounter one another. Huck is so overcome by this experience that he completely forgets about Jim, who he has been separated from for a few days. These instances are requisite of how the characters feel about each other and how they feel that they should interact with each other. Lastly, Miss Watson believes that Huck should be educated from the Bible and the way of life in the south. When she teaches Huck about Moses he has the opinion: "I
As the protagonist of the novel, Huck Finn is influenced by all of these three factors and is put in positions where he has to make decisions on the spot and potentially change the future for himself and Jim. The rural country setting that this phenomenal journey takes place in, really illustrates to the reader that Huck's decisions are greatly influenced by experiences and teachings of his life. In the end, the reader has to ask himself/herself the following question: Would Huck's belief system have been different if he had not grown up in the rural, slave-ridden