Huckleberry Finn's Moral Development
Rohit Chopra
10.3
5.2.17
Discussion of Moral Development in Huckleberry Finn: An Analysis on the Social Factors and their Implications on Huck’s Development
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Mark Twain
Mark Twain’s belief of stepping back and critically analyzing society is the basis for his novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about an adolescent boy traversing the Mississippi river along with a runaway slave Jim. As they travel, Huck is thrust in a variety of positions, each challenging what he believes in and forcing him to redefine what is “right” and “wrong”. Being a “coming of age” novel, Huck’s journey allows him to realize who he truly is …show more content…
Since Jim is being sold down south, he has three options, either to let Jim be sold, to go Jim’s owner, Miss.Watson, and tell her where Jim is or to somehow free Jim. Immediately, Huck rules out letting Jim go to the South because Huck think, “it would be a thousand times better for Jim to be a slave at home where his family was, as long as he’d got to be a slave”(193). However, Huck also recognizes that the reason Jim ran away in the first place was to escape Miss. Watson who was thinking about selling him in the South. Moreover, Huck is afraid that what other people might think about him helping a slave to freedom. Huck is worried that people might think that he is a “low down Abolitionist”(42). Thus, in this first stage of this problem, Huck’s moral standard is still somewhat low are he is very much influenced by extrinsic motivation and cannot decide what to do. In the next part, Huck thinks that God is punishing him for helping Jim escape. He believes that God was doing this because he is “stealing a poor old woman’s nigger that hadn't ever done me no harm”(193) Huck regrets doing it tries to pray as he was taught the widow and Miss.Watson. Huck feels that something is not right and he sees that it is because he is not truly believing that Jim should be returned to Miss. Watson, which he is praying for. He quickly grabs some paper and pencil and write a letter to Miss. Watson telling her where Jim is. Then sudden he feels “good and washed clean of sin for the first time”(194). However, Huck still has a nagging doubt and not everything feels completely right and he is baffled. He wonders why he feels incomplete when he followed all of the religious principles and the laws of society. He found stolen property, Jim, and was simply returning it, what was wrong? Huck soon understands that society's views may not always be right. Society
10.3
5.2.17
Discussion of Moral Development in Huckleberry Finn: An Analysis on the Social Factors and their Implications on Huck’s Development
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
Mark Twain
Mark Twain’s belief of stepping back and critically analyzing society is the basis for his novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about an adolescent boy traversing the Mississippi river along with a runaway slave Jim. As they travel, Huck is thrust in a variety of positions, each challenging what he believes in and forcing him to redefine what is “right” and “wrong”. Being a “coming of age” novel, Huck’s journey allows him to realize who he truly is …show more content…
Since Jim is being sold down south, he has three options, either to let Jim be sold, to go Jim’s owner, Miss.Watson, and tell her where Jim is or to somehow free Jim. Immediately, Huck rules out letting Jim go to the South because Huck think, “it would be a thousand times better for Jim to be a slave at home where his family was, as long as he’d got to be a slave”(193). However, Huck also recognizes that the reason Jim ran away in the first place was to escape Miss. Watson who was thinking about selling him in the South. Moreover, Huck is afraid that what other people might think about him helping a slave to freedom. Huck is worried that people might think that he is a “low down Abolitionist”(42). Thus, in this first stage of this problem, Huck’s moral standard is still somewhat low are he is very much influenced by extrinsic motivation and cannot decide what to do. In the next part, Huck thinks that God is punishing him for helping Jim escape. He believes that God was doing this because he is “stealing a poor old woman’s nigger that hadn't ever done me no harm”(193) Huck regrets doing it tries to pray as he was taught the widow and Miss.Watson. Huck feels that something is not right and he sees that it is because he is not truly believing that Jim should be returned to Miss. Watson, which he is praying for. He quickly grabs some paper and pencil and write a letter to Miss. Watson telling her where Jim is. Then sudden he feels “good and washed clean of sin for the first time”(194). However, Huck still has a nagging doubt and not everything feels completely right and he is baffled. He wonders why he feels incomplete when he followed all of the religious principles and the laws of society. He found stolen property, Jim, and was simply returning it, what was wrong? Huck soon understands that society's views may not always be right. Society