Preview

Huckleberry Finn Synthesis Essay

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1634 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Huckleberry Finn Synthesis Essay
Huckleberry Finn: Morality vs Society

Morality is what sets humans apart from the animal kingdom. We act on our beliefs, instead of our instincts, which perhaps makes us the flawed species. As humans, we all develop our own set of morals of which we use to make decisions in our day to day life. We use this moral compass to differentiate between right and wrong, but what we see as the right thing to do is not necessarily our own opinion, but societies. Adventures of Huckleberry finn by Mark Twain demonstrates that morality and society are one and the same. Huck has the opinions and morals of society constantly thrown in his face, and instead of giving into those values, he creates his own. Huck was raised without a mother, who provides an essential role in determining a child 's morals and beliefs. Huck’s motherless upbringing allowed him to develop morals of his own based on experience, not on hand-me-down morality. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn also shows us how stereotypes created by society influence the way we act towards others. Religion is definitely the largest component to determining one 's morality. Religion literally lays out societies laws and values, and how can one argue with something when they believe their afterlife depends on it. These were not only issues that came up in our past, but in our present and most definitely our future. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will always be relevant to society as long as humans walk the earth. By nature, humans desire to fit in with society and fear rejection. Huck teaches us that society isn 't always right, it is our individual opinions that should determine our actions, not what the general population believes. If there weren 't people to voice their opinions about the treatment of african americans, then we would still have slave to this very day. Also, if these lessons are not continually taught to future generations, history may one day repeat itself. Morals tend to get passed down from generation



Cited: American Literary Realism, 1870-1910 , Vol. 22, No. 1 (Fall, 1989), pp. 31-42 Published by: University of Illinois Press Nineteenth-Century Fiction , Vol. 40, No. 4 (Mar., 1986), pp. 412-437 Published by: University of California Press

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    -Foreshadowing: Huck is superstitious, so when he does simple things like flick a spider into a candle or touch a rattlesnake by his bare hands, he knows something bad is soon to come.…

    • 4033 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    "I waked him up, and I reckoned it was going to be a grand suprise to him to see me again, but it warn't. He nearly cried he was so glad, but he warn't suprised." Chapter Page 108…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The conflict between society as well as religion against the individuals ability to see past the mold that we live in, is a theme that is portrayed throughout the Huckleberry Finn. The book begins by creating a scenario in which a young boy, brought up in a regular South American society in the early 1800's and goes on to have him fight his way through a complex, internal, moral struggle caused by his love and friendship for a runaway slave. He had to figure out at a weather “right” was defined by what is correct in the eyes of society, or by what he felt was “right” in his heart, and then make a major decision. Huck Finn's inner struggles included; differentiating between religious, governmental, and societal rules which taught to him what is acceptable and what is not from the day of birth,and his own moral instincts. When it came time for huckleberry to make up his mind he took all that he was taught by society and his own ideology in to account and then he declared “Alright then, I’ll go to hell”. This indicated that Huck believed that following his own moral compass was more important than following the moral compass of others, or even G-d for that matter.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This story is about a boy who pretty much has a front row seat to witness the horrible things that we see being broadcasted on the news today; such as racism. Huck knows that the racists situations that he is witnessing around him are wrong in the eyes of society, but in his heart he knows what's right, which is why he chose to help Jim. Throughout the adventure , Huck struggles with the thoughts of turning Jim in, not because he knows it's the right thing to do but because he knows what could be the consequences for himself and Jim. The only thing that is holding Huck back from turning Jim in is their friendship and what he feels in his heart.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Set in a pre-civil war time period, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is overall controversial and symbolic of a greater moral that is heavily present in this society. During this time was a large separation of North and South over the ethics of slavery and the morals of the enslaved population. During this story the protagonist, Huck Finn, makes a very important ethical decision upon whether he should or should not turn in Jim, a runaway slave. Huck has a moment of moral liberation and searches the social and religious principles of society. By having to think about these things when making a decision such as this, it can be said that this society is backwards. Mark Twain suggests that society is morally wrong with what they believe is right, their opinion of civilized and has a faulty logic.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is both good and bad in modern day society; there would be no good without the presence of the bad. Violence, racism, and poverty, have not loosened their grip on civilization since the dawn of man; however, these issues may be a product of society itself. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain uses minor character Pap Finn to account for the flaws within society, and to explore the evils of human nature.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Eventually, morality(religion) and education have different roles and different influences in all the characters in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Also, have different impact in society during the time Huck Finn. The world and mentality of people have changed a lot since the time of this book, morality and education have now a great importance for everybody. These topics have a lot of influence on people, and everybody have different points of view. Still exist people that believes that everybody must follow what the bible say, and also people who does not believe that education is something that is worth it. It is all about how people handle these topics, which everyday become more important for our society.…

    • 118 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mark Twain’s The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is an American masterpiece. Contrary to The Algerine Captive Mark Twain‘s satire and irony is emphasized through the style and the use of the American “vernacular” dialect for the first time as well as the use of the African-American dialect. Therefore Huckleberry Finn remains the work that elevates this onetime rustic humorist into the ranks of literary genius. It is considered by Satirist Dick Gregory once said that Twain “was so far ahead of his time that he shouldn’t even be talked about on the same day as other people Huckleberry Finn is considered as the first American Novel and aimed at forging an American identity independent from the European one. The Novel, hence, satirize the paradoxical issues of slavery and the hypocrisy of the society as well as the deep intuitions of America.…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Huck Finn Essay

    • 1762 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Most people often assume that the aim of civilizations is for humanity to function together, jointly and cooperatively, so that humans produce and experience the benefits of moral people who live and act together. However, in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the reverse is true. The swap in societal stereotypes is apparent in the king and the duke’s production of the Royal Nonesuch as well as Huck and Jim’s pleasant journey down the Mississippi after escaping the family feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons. Leading up to the performance of the Royal Nonesuch, the king and the duke attract an all-male audience in a small town in Arkansas for a so-called “tragedy”, and make signs promising lewdness in the performance. Conversely, the protagonists of the novel, Huck and Jim, are depicted as noble characters on the outskirts of society, as they lead a carefree existence down the Mississippi River. The central irony in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that in the midst of a “sivilized” society, uncivilized members abound, particularly those who are racist, conniving, and ill-mannered; whereas Huck and Jim, who have escaped society, are more righteous, sincere, and morally sound than any of the other “sivilized” characters who populate the traditional southern communities the novel depicts.…

    • 1762 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huckleberry Finn Analysis

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Is your life perfect? Probably not we all have our demons we all have our faults but that is what unifies us. We are on a journey to become a better person all the time. Just like in the novels Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Therefore the journey by both protagonists in the novels The adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Underground to Canada differ, the style of writting used in both texts are complete opposites. They share similairties such as the setting used for both books and the fact both novels end on a positive note. Both authors succeded in conveying the readers attention to the central themes of the books: perserverance, moral awakening and finding your freedom. In this…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mark Twain’s novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” is considered to be one of the greatest works of American history. His use of humorous satire is unparalleled in modern writing. The meanings of his book are hidden deep within the pages, causing some to question its satirical nature. Written years after the civil war ended slavery, the book takes place in the pre-civil war south; a place ridden with slavery and racism. He uses satire to attack the racism that still thrived even after the death of slavery, the hypocrisy of the religious southerners, and superstition in a lighter more humorous sense. Mark Twain’s satire is one that needs to be looked at in a deeper sense than as pure humor.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn Essay

    • 1613 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict” (Saul Alinsky). In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain explores many different conflicts. He captures man versus self, man versus man, and man versus society. Huck, the main character, experiences each type of conflict first-hand. These conflicts cause Huck to change throughout the story as Twain illustrates his dynamic character.…

    • 1613 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is obvious that Mark Twain intended for readers of Huckleberry Finn to discover the hidden messages, meanings, and lessons within the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. At the beginning of the novel, Twain states that “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot” to cause the curious reader to search for such things. Most of these secret messages are written through satire, allowing Twain to point out and ridicule societal ills at the time. Racist, ignorant, and cruel thoughts or individuals are…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I find the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn very difficult to read. I often find myself re-reading the paragraph just to understand what it means after not getting it the first time. Some of the more difficult aspects for me to understand in the book are based on the way they speak and the dialect they use. I do understand that most of the people in the book were uneducated and just basically spoke different than we do now. For example "Yo' Ole Father doan ' know yit what hes a-gwyne to do" is what Jim had said to Huck and I found that very hard to comprehend. If it wasn’t for the great context clues, then I wouldn’t be able to understand one thing that’s going on when they speak. I do understand that Jim is uneducated and that’s how someone like him would speak. But I just think that it is taken a little too far and feel that Mark Twain…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    huck finn essay

    • 940 Words
    • 2 Pages

    and style used by Mark Twain is offensive, while others might see it inspiring. Huck Finn was…

    • 940 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays