Huckleberry Finn, Huck's Strug

             In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck must fight against many influences to make his own decisions and be an individual. He struggle against society and his conscience to love and help free Jim without guilt, and stay free and uncivilized. The world that is constantly trying to make him "everybody else" is both society as a whole as well as Miss Watson, Pap, Tom Sawyer, and his own conscience. Miss Watson tries to get Huck to abandon himself, his uncivilized ways, to live the live of a civilized boy and learn religion. Pap also creates a great deal of negative influence on Huck, including his racist views, drunkenness, and physical abuse. Tom Sawyer lives in a fantasy world of adventure and is always trying to get Huck to play along. Tom gets him to join "Tom Sawyer's Band of Robbers" and live out immaculate fantasies. Another force Huck must deal with is his own conscience that is constantly making him feel guilty and bad. His conscience has been molded by society and holds many beliefs of his time period including racism and the belief that blacks are property.
             I believe that Huckleberry is successful in being nobody-but-himself. When Huck is living with Miss Watson and being taught religion he learns about such things as heaven and hell, yet always decides to be himself even if that means he can't go to the "good place" like miss Watson. "She was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well I couldn't see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn't try for it." (p. 15) Huck's daring escape from Pap in the cabin shows to what extent Huck will go to remain himself. He knows he must get out of that situation, mostly for physical well being but also to escape captivity and Pap's emotional burden on Huck. As for Tom Sawyer Huck refuses to let himself live in his fantasy world as Huck is a realist and see...

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Huckleberry Finn, Huck's Strug. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:58, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/77101.html