Huck Finn Moral Development

Huck Finn Moral Development

Hafeez Hameer
English 252
Worthington
Fall 2008
Huckleberry Finn Composition

In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck undoubtedly struggles with moral values. Though he lives an independent life, Huck does not hold solely self-inspired morals. His unique set of values forms through both inward and outward influences. Huck’s conscience constantly gets pulled around and torn by everything he knows and feels. Individual people, society as a whole, and Huck’s own feelings and experiences impact Huck’s moral development.
Life with Jim on the raft causes Huck to define his morals according to humanity and relationship. Huck prefers to avoid conflict between two people. Rather than risk conflict, Huck floats down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave and protects that slave from the law although he has been taught his actions are sinful. Jim and Huck have agreed on a peaceful raft life. Huck prefers getting along with Jim to saving himself from punishment for helping Jim escape. Huck also learns the meaning of friendship from Jim. After he writes the letter to Tom explaining where Jim is, he attempts to find a place in his heart where Jim has not touched him or been anything but a friend to him. Huck says, "But somehow I couldn’t seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind" (Twain 272-273). Because Jim has shown Huck nothing but love and friendship, Huck decides loyalty transcends turning in a runaway slave. Jim influences Huck to stand for morals based on friendship and harmony among men.
Kind strangers lead Huck to make moral decisions he would make differently for himself on his own. The Grangerfords take Huck into their home without knowing who he is or where he comes from and make him feel fully accepted. He goes to church with them on Sundays: an act he would never consider when living with the Widow Douglass. The Grangerfords will let him be who he wants to be, and he adopts their lifestyle on his own...

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