Moral Lesson Of Huck Finn's Life

In the early stages of the story, Huck rejects the idea of becoming civilized. He believes it takes away the freedom that living in the wilderness provides him. Living with Miss Watson and the Widow, Huck grows up learning that society views slaves as property. As Huck and Jim travel further away from home, Huck's journey becomes a coming of age experience. Meeting new people and seeing new things, it teaches Huck that the society he lives in is flawed in multiple ways. While Huck doesn't know it, there are many times his decisions are more moral than those of society. As time progresses, Huck comes to acknowledge that Jim has traits that resemble those of his own kind, like his ability to care and sacrifice. Towards the end of the story, Huck finally realises that Jim
is similar to any white man, even though his civilization believes that slaves should be treated as property. Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck develops a personal sense of morality that allows him to disregard society standards, while valuing human life. Staying with Miss Watson and the Widow, Huck’s control over his morals are suppressed by their rules to civilize him. Huck explains that Widow Douglas “took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out.” (Huck, Pg.1). Everyday, Huck is living in misery because he has no freedom in the household. Trying to fit into society restricts Huck's life. Huck also has to follow rules that do not make sense. For example, Huck describes that the Widow “rung a bell for supper, and you had to come to time. When you got to the table you couldn't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn't really anything the matter with them” (Huck, Pg.1). These rules are unnecessary and teach Huck that society expectations can be pointless. This leads Huck to believe that if he wants his own freedom, he must rebel against society.
As Huck travels further down the river with Jim, his isolation from society allows him to portray his true morals. For instance, Huck plays a joke by pretending that Jim was dreaming after the two were separated and almost got lost. Jim is extremely worried about losing Huck, but when he finds out that Huck was lying, Jim becomes awfully upset. This causes Huck to regret hurting Jim and say “it was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way.” (Huck, Pg. 86). Huck acknowledges Jim’s ability to care and sees the humanity in him. Huck reveals that he regrets his actions and sets aside his immature ways to apologize to him. He is breaking away from the society's belief that slaves are property, and following his instinct that what he did to Jim was morally incorrect. Soon after, Jim opens up to Huck about his past and family. Jim, who has been controlled by whites for the majority of his life, openly says to Huck, “dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim” (Jim, Pg. 89) and expresses that Huck is the first person with white skin to keep a promise to him. Trust has led Jim and Huck to build a strong bond that would ultimately inspire Huck to rebel against society and embrace Jim as a human being.
Although Huck has built trust with Jim, he is troubled when he is faced with the decision of protecting Jim, or do what his society expects and give Jim up.
Huck knows that he is breaking the law by helping Jim escape because he belongs to Miss Watson, but Huck also sees Jim as a friend. He is torn with making a choice, and he is stuck in a moral dilemma. When Huck encounters the slave hunters on the river, he makes a final decision. Huck chooses to protect Jim and he says to himself after, “hold on; s'pose you'd a done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I'd feel bad - I'd feel just the same way I do now. Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?” (Huck, Pg. 91). Huck having difficulty with determining right from wrong is a sign of his morals growing and maturing. Huck is first puzzled, but in the end he follows his instinct and protects Jim. While Huck doesn’t know it, he made the correct choice and went down the right path. This is the beginning of Huck's moral development that will lead him to rebel against society and value human
life.
Huck in the last few chapters finally reveals that he values Jim as a human. Though Huck has seen many actions by Jim that resembles his own kind, Huck never openly admits that he values Jim as a human until the final chapters. When Tom is shot during their escape from the Phelps, Jim refuses to leave Tom's side. At this point, Jim is willing to risk the possibility of being recaptured, and he sacrifices his freedom for the Tom. After, Huck says he sees that Jim jeopardizes his life “I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he'd say what he did say - so it was all right, now, and I told Tom I was agoing for a doctor. “ (Huck, Pg. 275). Jim revealing his ability to sacrifice is ultimately the key to prove to Huck that Jim is a human being. Along with Jim's ability to care, Huck finally realises that Jim is no different than any other white man. In the final moments of the story, Huck is giving the option to follow Aunt Sally and she will civilize him. Huck responds, “I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.” (Huck Pg. 293). From what Huck has learned, becoming civilized means that his freedom is restricted and he has to obey rules that don’t make sense to him. Thus, Huck chooses to go his own separate way by following his moral instinct, and disregard society standards because it has yet to let him down.
Throughout the story, Huck has developed a sense to follow his moral instincts and disregard society standards while valuing human life. At the beginning, Huck is stuck with the mindset that slaves should be treated as property. Later, when Huck is faced with the decision of giving Jim up or rebelling against society by protecting Jim, Huck is thrown into a moral dilemma. His confusion between right and wrong is a sign of maturity and development of his morals. As time progresses, Huck and Jim build a strong relationship which enables Huck to value Jim as a human being. Jim reveals that he possesses traits that resembles those of white men; ability to care and sacrifice which leads Huck to conclude that Jim is a human being.