Huckleberry Finn Moral Development

Throughout the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck is constantly changing and developing morally as well as intellectually as he partakes in the many adventures that he is able to learn and take away from. However, some of Huck's characteristics remain the same for the duration of the novel. As Huck begins his journey with Jim, he develops of certain standards that continuously progress and become more prominent as their adventures continue. Huck gains a new perspective on society and begins to accept and allow himself to change and stray away from society's usual expectations. Huck's moral developments begin to appear early on in his and Tom's numerous adventures that they partake in. As they begin their journey,
When Tom and Huck are staying with Tom's family and want to break Jim out of the cell he is being imprisoned at, Tom is constantly suggesting these ridiculous ideas and notions in order to do so. Tom wants to use knives instead of actually using correct equipment to dig Jim out of his cell. He orders Huck to “run along and smooch the knives”(244), so Huck had done it. From the beginning, Huck always looks up to Tom as a role model and exemplary figure without any question or doubt in him. This was because Tom has read all “the books” and therefore knows the correct, and the only way for that matter, to do things. If they were to do anything different from what the books say, it would be completely ridiculous and incorrect since society has shaped them into believing that that is the only way to do things. However, when Tom is making these ridiculous notions, Huck constantly questions him as to why they need to make things more complicated than they need to be. Despite of this, in the end, Huck still obeys Tom and everything that he says just like he always has since the
Towards the beginning of their adventure, Huck pulls a prank on Jim resulting in a rattle snake biting his leg. Afterward, Huck feels bad about it, but “[He] warn't going to let Jim find out it was all [his] fault, not if [he] could help it.”(53). Even though Huck feels bad about Jim getting hurt by the snake because of the prank he pulled, he would never apologize because he would be sinking himself to such a level of a Negro slave which is seen as an unrighteous notion in his society. However as the book continues, Huck slowly establishes larger acknowledgement and gratitude toward Jim. Later in the novel, Huck pulls another prank on Jim which ended up making him feel very upset and betrayed. Huck and Jim got separated by the fog and strong current. After Huck finally finds Jim, he decides to act as if Jim dreamt the whole thing. Huck then sees how upset Jim is and “It was fifteen minutes before [he] could work [himself] up to go and humble [himself] to a nigger; but [he'd] done it and [he] warn't ever sorry for it afterward”(86). This is a turning point in Huck's development because he is straying away from society's normal and standard expectations by seeing Jim differently than another white man normally would. Huck actually takes into consideration Jims feelings and emotions and realizes that Jim shares many of the same attributes as he