Adaptability of Huck Finn

             In Mark Twain's novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is faced with a handful of problems. Sometimes he has to lie to protect his identity, live off the land by hunting and fishing, and help Jim when needed. Huck makes many life-changing decisions as he grows and matures throughout the novel. Through the trials and tribulations that Huck must overcome, readers can see the ability of Huck Finn to adapt to any situation, even if it means lying or being deceitful.
             One of the first events that shows how well Huck adapts is when he fakes his own murder. Huck does not want to live in the cabin with his drunken father anymore, so he devises a plan to fake his own death. Huck is very methodical in the way he goes about it: "I took an ax and smashed in the door...I fetched the pig in and took him back nearly to the table and hacked into his throat with the ax...I pulled out my hair and bloodied the ax good and slung it in the corner" (p. 285) Huck thinks he did a good job and even wished Tom Sawyer was there to see his work. Satisfied, Huck leaves Pap's cabin and sets out to adventure.
             The next event that shows Huck's adaptability is when he sets out on an adventure with Jim. They come across a small, rural town along the banks of the Mississippi River. Huck wants to go into town and see what the people are saying about his death. Huck devises a plan where he is to dress up like a girl so he will not be recognized. Huck describes the process of becoming a girl very vividly: "So we shortened up one of the calico gowns and I turned up my trouser-legs to my knees and got into it. I put on the sun bonnet and tied it under my chin."(p. 298) Huck finds his way into an old shanty in the woods where he meets Mrs. Judith Loftus. Huck could have fooled her, but he didn't act much like a girl. Mrs. Loftus discovered that Huck was indeed a boy by the way he acted. She knew he was ...

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Adaptability of Huck Finn. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 21:37, April 25, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/73410.html