Huck's Journey to Himself
In both fiction and in real life, made up characters and people are constantly searching for their true identities. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck escapes from what he is not in order to find who he truly is. Twain uses this escape or journey as a tool for Huck's search for his real identity. On his journey Huck is swept through a series of reckless escapades where he switches from being Sarah Mary Williams to George Jackson to Tom Sawyer, but in the end these adventures bring him closer to himself. Huck knows within the first chapter, who he does not want to be: the civilized, clean, pious young man that Widow Douglas and Miss Watson are forcing him to become. Huck detests such people, let alone wants to be one. When once again Huck falls under his father's will, he feels more like himself because he is not restricted from doing the things that he enjoys: being dirty, cursing, and smoking. Although Huck is more liberated than before, he stays restrained under his father's anger, neglect, and
It is a world away from the events on the shore, untouched by civilized society. Huck shows that through his adventuresome journey, he has become his own person and found his true identity. While traveling down the river, Huck makes more decisions with his own conscience than he ever has before: not reporting Jim's location to Miss Watson, turning in the Duke and Dauphin in order to save an innocent family from fraud, and freeing an already free slave from confinement. He is not constantly being nagged and berated. The atmosphere of comfort that the raft embodies prompts inner reflection and Huck's ongoing search for his true self. He is following what is inside him. Huck has found that there is more than just a servant in this slave; he has found a friend. These distasteful occurrences cause Huck to come to the conclusion that society is not where he belongs. The physical distance between Huck and Widow Douglas and Miss Watson and their notions, induces Huck to think freely and for himself. On his journey down the Mississippi River, Huck is moving away from what has recently been his place of lodging. Huck tears up the letter to Miss Watson informing her of Jim's whereabouts. Between his various adventures he has some quiet time that he uses for inner thought. The most important turning event in the novel is Huck's statement, "All right, then, I'll go to hell. With this definite ending statement, and no regrets, Huck plans to run away and live on his own.
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Acceptance Essays
