Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, describes a young boy torn between what he feels for his country and what society expects of him and what his heart tells him is right. Huck Finn faces many situations forcing him to deal with decisions that carry with them the ability to bring about change. Huck begins searching for an identity that is truly his own. In determining his self-image, Huck deals with conforming to the social norms and freedom, trying on different identities that do not belong to him, and shaping these newfound tributes into an identity that best suits his conscience. Throughout the book, Huck rejects "civilized" life because he has no reason for it. All that civilization has brought for him was bad things. He meets many people, and they all try to influence him to change his ways to what they see as right. Pretty soon, he does not want to deal with any of it and wants to live a life of adventure and fun.
             The novel begins with Huck under the care of Widow Douglas as "she took me for her son and allowed that she would civilize me, but it was rough living in the house all the time." (p. 11) Huck has become so used to being free that he sees the Widow Douglas' protection solely in terms of confinement. He finds this impossible because he loses his freedom amongst "the bars and shackles of civilization." Huck feels that he belongs out under the stars where the community cannot tell him what to do. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead, and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules. At the beginning of the book, Huck lives with Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly old and are really incapable of raising a rebellious boy like Huck Finn. They attempt to make Huck into what they believe will be a better boy, as Huck says, to "civilize" him. They do this by making Huck go to school, teaching hi...