HUCKLEBERRY FINN: INDIVIDUAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Does Huckleberry Finn, the main character in Mark Twain's Americanclassic, deserve to be nominated for the "Individual of the Year" award'Considering that the judges for this award are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,the great American civil rights leader, and Henry David Thoreau, the famousAmerican writer best known for his Walden, it would appear to be a foregoneconclusion that Huck Finn would indeed receive the award as the "Individualof the Year," mainly due to the principles and ideologies expressed by Kingin his "Letter From Birmingham Jail" and the essay by Thoreau entitled"Civil Disobedience," both of which highly reflect the experiences of HuckFinn as the young non-conformist and avid seeker of justice. As Kenneth S. Lynn points out, Huck Finn symbolizes "every young boywho ever lived and is also an individual worth knowing, due to his non-conformist attitudes and his ability to allow the reader to see himself inwhat he does, what he says and how he experiences life" (45). Although heswears and smokes, Huck Finn has a set of ethics all his own that reflecthis upbringing, his background and the various ways in which he has beentreated by humankind. Reared haphazardly in the deep South
The novel is also about a boy escaping from a civilizationin which slavery is the most conspicuous cruelty. Huck's reaction toJim's feelings for his family is worth noting, for Huck comes to understandthat Jim cares as much for his family as any white person, although atfirst he sees this caring as unnatural, due to the 19th century attitudethat black people were uncivilized and heathens. King when he was jailed for what heviewed as unjust treatment, it is safe to say that as a judge trying todetermine whether or not Huck Finn should receive the "Individual of theYear" award that he would refer back to this letter for support andinspiration in order to decide if Huck Finn is truly deserving. Through the eyes of judge Dr. This statement is very similar to Dr. Withouta doubt, Huck Finn is such a "counter friction" that goes against the"machine," meaning that as a non-conformist, he must do everything in hispower to halt the injustice within the status quo. ForHuck Finn, disobeying the law is not a problem, for throughout Twain'snovel, Huck at times goes out of his way to disobey the laws of the land,and in the case of his friend Jim, he is not content to obey the law anddecides to transgress them in order to help Jim. an unjust law is no law at all" (193). Another facet which ispresented at many points in the novel is when Huck begins to struggle withhis conscience concerning Jim's situation as an escaped slave. Thoreau also mentions thata person's life should be ". Huck also talks with a lowbrowdialect, but he is keen-witted and intelligent. , Huck believesthat slaves belong to their rightful owners, yet through his honestgratitude toward his friend Jim, the escaped slave, he helps him in hisefforts to escape the bonds of slavery.
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Acceptance Essays
