Huck Finn

             Seen as a rogue, the antithesis of the novel, little Huck in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, goes through a significant psychological metamorphosis. In the events of his journey down the Mississippi river, Huck's morality is tested time and time again. It is in Chapter 31 of the novel, when Huck's ultimate test of morality is put at stake. Huck is torn between following his orthodox childhood nurturing or to follow his heart and do what he believes is correct. Through the episodic journey, Huck reaches his moral apex in Chapter 31.
             "I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: 'All right, then, I'll go to hell.'" (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 236) Huck reached his final decision after contemplating the situation he was in. During Huck's experiences in the symbol-filled journey down the Mississippi, he was faced with a true question of morality; whether or not to sacrifice himself to do what was right in his mind. It was here that Huck discovered that the upbringing he received from Miss Watson was not, indeed, honorable. Although she had attempted to civilize him, she had actually taught him to become a young racist and that there was no wrong in the practice of slavery. Huck began to realize later on that this was not so. Once he understood Jim and had developed a near father-son relationship, Huck, though knowing that possessing a runaway slave and helping him to freedom was wrong, could not bear turning Jim in. Huck realized that what is taught to be right, is not always the right thing to do. In the words of Daniel Hoffman, "Mark Twain began with all the stereotypes of racial character in his mind, the stereotypes that he, as well as Jim, outgrow," (Daniel Hoffman, 1961) Huck saw that the good in people came not ou...

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Huck Finn. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:14, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/79420.html