Moral Breakdown In Huckleberry Finn

Moral breakdown is a phenomenon in which a major degradation or a complete loss of moral values takes place within a particular society. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace in society.” Morals are the basis by which people live in a positive manner because morals typically mean that people are compassionate to our fellow beings. When people have morals we know right from wrong. It's important to have morals with a smart mind so that they understand the consequences of their actions. In the novel Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain describes that Huck Finn has moral degradation or no morals between lying, murder and greed.
Everyone lies right? Some people use this immoral action by
claiming it's for a good reason instead of using it in a bad way. Not only does Huck use this but other characters like the Duke and the King use lying for both good and evil in such a deformed society. One example is when, Huck figures out Pap is in town and he gives his money to Judge Thatcher. Huck uses deception when Pap comes looking for the money because we can see that Huck lies for good reasoning. Huck states to Pap, “I haint got no money I tell you, you go ask Judge Thatcher he’ll tell you the same”(10). Huck uses that lie to stop Pap from taking his money away from him and using it for alcohol. The readers now can tell how lying is not always a bad moral it can be used for good as well as bad. The difference is the fact that the later characters lie in hopes of personal gain, while the first characters lie to help others. For instance, Huck Finn narrates, “First they done a lecture on temperance but they didn't get enough for them to get drunk” (262). The Duke and the King showed many examples of lying throughout the book. They are having a lecture about how not to drink yet they are using the money they earn to buy liquor for themselves to get drunk on. The Duke and the King don't care if they are lying and scamming the people as long as they are receiving money. Therefore, lying could be used for both good and bad and Mark Twain uses both these examples. In the novel, there are many scenes that include violence and murder. Bill, Jake, and Jim Turner are all on a steamship called the Walter Scott. The Walter Scott is a wrecked steamboat that Huck and Jim see after they leave Jackson Island. The three men are still on the boat after planning on stealing a big amount of money. Packard explains, “Shooting good, but there are quieter ways if things got to be done.” (69) Jim Turner is the man that they are going to kill because he threatened to snitch. This motivates Huck to take the robbers boat and to send officials to capture the men. The men on the boat were going to kill Turner for no apparent reason. Huck tries to helps against the moral of murder. Not only does the Walter Scott show murder as an immoral act but Boggs and Colonel Sherburn do as well. Boggs constantly threatens to kill people, but never does. In one incident, Boggs targets Sherburn by standing outside and repeatedly screams insults at him. Sherburn has had enough. Huck narrates, “Boggs and the men turned around to see who called him and when they see the postal oh he killed them, he has killed them”:. (153) Society sees Boggs as a harmless person; yet that does not stop Colonel Sherburn from killing Boggs. Huck then triumphs over violence because he is faced with violence and murder quite frequently in a deformed society that Huck is not affected by it. Greed is common in everyday life and we are constantly surrounded by it.
Huck Finn is constantly surrounded by greed from most people he comes in contact with. Furthermore, the grangerfords and the shepherdsons are two families who are in a family feud between them. They both have kids that escape from their parents to fall in love with each other. Huck narrates, “En ole Mars Saul en de boys tuck dey guns en rode up de river road for to try ketch dat young man and kill him” (113). These families feel greed because Miss Sophia and Harney Shepherdson have a desire to marry each other and a plan to escape to pursue their dreams. In this case greeds role plays a major part in the morals of Sophia and Harney. Colonel Sherburn is a store owner and the richest man in town. Huck narrates, “By and buy a proud looking man about 55 and he was a heap of the best looking man in town” (180). Colonel Sherburn is a greedy swindler who swindles people for money to pay for his lavish lifestyle. To sum up, greed can be connected back with Miss Sophia and Harney and in Colonel Sherburn's lavish lifestyle.
In conclusion, morals are the base component for a positive lifestyle. Morals such as lying, murder and greed not always bad and can sometimes be good.Huck Finn uses these morals to provide a better lifestyle for himself to see if he can change the deformed society. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “ To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace in
society.”