Huck Finn Essay

There are countless differences between our society today and that of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the 1800s. One of the major discrepancies is the feeling toward slavery. Completely unlike our society today, Huck’s society found slavery and the mistreatment of blacks to be a commonality. Modern times allow us to take a step back and see the wrongs of slavery. Most people of this time did not have this advantage because they grew up with this injustice. However, Huck grew up uncivilized. This gave Huck the disadvantage of being unsure or how to act in civilized society. Although, it also presented him with the even more important advantage of being able to make his own moral decisions.
Huck was faced with the moral dilemma of how he felt Jim should be treated versus how society dictated Jim should be treated during this period in history. During the mid-1800s, society condoned slavery, and viewed blacks as being less than human. Huck, who did not grow up among civilized society, was able to view Jim as not just a person, but as his friend. At first, Huck held conflicting views about what his gut told him about Jim, and how he was supposed to act toward Jim. Shortly into their journey down the Mississippi, Huck realized his actions; he was helping a runaway slave, a very serious crime. Huck felt guilty, and unsure of whether or not to turn Jim in because he felt that he should for Miss Watson’s sake. However, Jim told Huck that he was "de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s [Huck] de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now"(101Twain). This made Huck realize that he and Jim actually were friends. Huck did not turn Jim in and became "de on’y white genlman dat ever kep’ his promise to ole Jim"(102).
Huck faced this same conflict when Jim was sold into slavery by the king and the duke. Huck felt that he should once again tell Miss Watson where her slave was. He thought that Miss Watson deserved to know, and that it would make him free of leading a sinful life. However, Huck "couldn’t seem to strike no places to harden me [Huck] against him [Jim], but any other kind"(227). Even though Huck was taught that what he was doing was wrong, he could not help but to follow the feeling inside of him that told him what he was doing was right.
Huck always chooses to go against the normalcy of society during the 1800s by choosing to stand by Jim. Society today would view Huck’s choices as noble and loyal. However, in Huck’s time his actions would have been seen as despicable. People today are being brought up in a time when it is known how awful slavery and its effects are, are therefore able to clearly see how wrong it is. However, those people brought up in the 1800s were unable to step outside of their own society to see what was wrong with it. The errors of their ways went unnoticed because no one was able to break out of their corrupted society. Since there was no one to analyze how awful slavery was in common society during this time period, there were no changes. People needed to be judged objectively on their actions, but everyone being brought up in the same environment in a world of slavery made it impossible to gain an impartial stance on the subject.
Although it is impossible to completely remove oneself from the effects of society during this, or any time, Huck Finn came very close to stepping outside of the society he was trapped in. Huck grew up in the wilderness with Pap as his only influence. Miss Watson began to teach Huck the ways of being "sivilized, as they called it"(35). Huck learned the ways of civilized society quickly. However, the ideas that Huck gained from society did not solely make up his attitude toward moral decision making, unlike the singularly formed attitudes of people who grew up in civilized society. This combination of sources for Huck’s moral compass sometimes caused Huck confusion. Although he might not have been able to express it, he did not fully agree with the ideas of either Pap or society.
Huck almost always makes the right decision according to today’s moral standards. Huck always stood by Jim and did the right by thing according to modern times. In the society Huck is living in, the actions that Huck believes to be right are wrong. However, Huck selflessly goes against the grain and sticks to how he feels. He prefers not to distinguish between good and bad: "I wouldn’t bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at the time"(104), and according to the popular views of the 1800s, is willing to "go to hell"(228), for standing by Jim.
Huck was able to remove himself from society and clearly see what was right. He offered an objective view and saw how Jim really should be treated. Huck viewed Jim both as an equal person, and as a friend. Huck recognized Jim as a person who possessed feelings: "I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so"(167). At first, Huck did not believe Jim’s complex emotions seemed natural because of the dehumanizing effect society had on blacks at the time, but deep down he knew it was true because he was able to step back and question societal ideas. Huck’s wild nature allowed him to use the clear vision he needed to see the value in Jim’s friendship.
Tom Sawyer is a prime example of the great impact society had on the public in the 19th century. Tom Sawyer was brought up in the completely opposite way of Huck Finn. Tom grew up in civilized society his entire life. Tom did everything by the book, just as society expected him to: "ain’t no other way, that ever I heard of, and I’ve read all the books that gives any information about these things"(257). He also found nothing wrong with his treatment of Jim. Tom knew Jim was free the entire time and selfishly went on with his charade for his own amusement. After all he put Jim through he merely gave "Jim forty dollars for being prisoner for us so patient, and doing it up so good"(306). Society taught Tom to follow the rules and that he was a human being of higher quality than Jim simply because he was white. Tom’s societal upbringing made him respected in his society socially, but nowadays he would be loathed for such actions.
Huck Finn’s upbringing was a blessing in disguise; it allowed him to be able to break out of the corrupted society that the world was stuck in during the 1800s. Huck was not born into this type of society, making it easier to question and escape its views. Huck used a mix of resources to formulate his own conscience and ways of making moral decisions. Therefore, he was able to see the true worth in all people, not just the price society valued them at.