In the climactic scene of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck has a crisis of conscience
over his runaway slave friend, Jim. At first, he writes a letter to Miss Watson
telling her where he is located so she can recapture him. However, Huck is
unable to send the letter, because he realizes the friendship and equal
partnership he has developed with Jim. Huck “got to thinking over our trip down
the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time, in the day, and in the night
time,” (222). Huck understands quickly that he cannot betray his new friend.
Huck’s
battle with conventional morality, religion, and Miss Watson’s teachings has
been a constant struggle throughout the novel. Huck decides to ignore society’s
conventions of racism and oppression by defining his own morality, despite the
possible consequences. This action is clear moment of growth into adulthood for
Twain’s young protagonist.
We
have seen quite a few characters in the novel defined by their adherence to
society’s conventions like Miss Watson or the townspeople who are deceived repeatedly.
At the forefront is Huck, our young, naïve protagonist who is unable to connect
his own conscience with the morals of society. I believe one of Twain’s main
targets for satire is the stubborn adult demographic unable to change their
views and think for themselves, and the passing down of ignorance from
generation to generation. The children of the Grangerfords and Shephersons have
learned the blind hate for the rival family from their parents, and the
children will then teach the kids the same, with no end to the hate in sight.
A
child who grows in the confines of society is doomed to the failures of their
parents before them. However, Twain allows the character of Huck Finn to grow
outside of society’s limits. Huck was not brainwashed by Miss Watson’s lessons.
Huck is forced to make his own decisions on the river, and in turn progress his
own morals. On the outside, he can see the systems of racism and oppression
for what they truly are, and he is now set to combat them.
Wow brad what an interesting point! As we have discussed earlier, Huck really does have a tendency to be molded by those around him. He thinks and acts a certain way when he's under Miss Watson's care, and he thinks and acts differently with his dad. But now that he has been out alone with Jim for a considerable amount of time, he is beginning to form his own moral compass despite society's rules and views that have been engrained in his mind. Although you could argue that Huck is again being molded by his environment, by the constant show of trust and affection from Jim, I think the dilemma inside his head that the readers witness clearly shows that he is making the decision for himself to help out Jim, despite what everyone else in his life has taught him to do up until this point.
ReplyDeleteI must agree with you interesting dissertation on the main target of Twain's satire, that being the static adult population of the book. Throughout most of the book that we have read so far, we have witnessed Huck's changes in morality and his fight against social norms (whether it be the widow's, his father's, or just society in general). In my opinion, Huck takes a much more utilitarian approach to his morality. He does not care so much about what society thinks of methods (which often include lying and stealing), so long as they bring good and desired results. Through his character of Huck, Twain seems to be saying that as long as a person has good intentions and produces good outcomes, it is okay and good to break social conventions and norms.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emily's argument that Huck's solitude and separation from society has definitely forced him to create his own ideas and beliefs. We initially established that Huck's family figures (Miss Watson and Pap) did not influence his thinking at all because they were so different from each other, and the same seems to occur through Huck's journey where we meet several new and unique characters. The variety of personalities forces Huck to create his own morals and values, regardless of social conventions or beliefs. He often lies for the sake of others, and the one time he told the truth, it was to stop Mary Jane from crying. Huck continues to disregard social values and breaks the norm.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear, as Brad said in his post, that Huck is completely different from the normal individuals we observe in this society Twain has constructed around him. What really grinds my gears (causes me to think and re-think) is your statement that Huck's individuality is created from his separation with society. Look at Huck's father. He is absolutely separated from society (he only comes into town for drinks), yet he is doomed to the same downfalls as the rest of society. I believe Pap also buys into the "racism and oppression" that afflicts the rest of the people, even though he has been isolated. Plus, he also gets fooled by Huck's escape trick, which we would not expect for someone who is as different as Huck. I would like to present my own opinion as to how Huck became as independently-minded as we see him now. I believe that you were partially right in that his time away from society played a major role in his unique transformation. But, on the other side of the coin, his time spent IN society has an equal and opposite effect. We've said this before, but I still believe that it is Huck's ability to draw his own solutions from the amalgam of contradicting morals and lessons that allows him to be as empowered as Twain presents him to be.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really great point. We haven't talked much about the generation gap in class, but I think it's a very poignant contrast throughout the novel. A great example of this is when Tom arrives to the Phelps plantation and Huck tells him of his plan to steal Jim out of slavery. Huck is incredibly shocked when Tom volunteers to help him, unsolicited, saying, "Here was a boy that was respectable; an well brung up; and had a character to lose; and folks at home that had characters" (Twain 242). Huck and Tom's upbringings are juxtaposed so sharply here, as Huck has almost no one in the way of family and Tom's two-parent household is teeming with brothers and sisters. This explains why Huck is so shocked to find that Tom is more than willing to go along with his plan, one which he had the famous "crisis of conscience" over, in a heartbeat, despite his familial background. The overarching point that Twain is trying to make is that people, whether children or adults, can formulate their own personal sense of morals and individuality, and yet society's imprint on them will always shape it, whether it causes them to adhere to or rebel against it. This is illustrated by the overall irony that Huck considers saving Jim to be horrible and amoral, while the act is truly highly moral.
ReplyDeleteI really like your emphasis on Huck not being able to connect his own conscience to society's predetermined morals. I think this very idea is something that is omnipresent in Twain's novel, and even when not explicitly stated, it leaves a very powerful statement - that society's morals (slavery especially) are outdated and irrelevant, as Huck can no longer identify with their premises. Twain, through Huck, reveals a character who has moved past and in many ways exposed society's archaic boundaries as superficial and often unjust.
ReplyDeleteReally awesome post, Brad - thanks!
ReplyDeleteHuck definitely developed an alternative morality from the very start. At the beginning of the book, he claimed that he wouldn't mind going to "the bad place," just as long as Tom Sawyer would be there with him. Now, he arrives at the same conclusion, but his reasoning has matured significantly. He says that he would be willing to go to hell because he is doing what he thinks is right, not just what he thinks would be more fun for him. The ironic fact that he thinks it is the morally wrong decision indicates that he is not yet fully mature in his view of the world. It's also interesting reading this book with the subject of human trafficking prevalent at the moment. However, the difference is that I think Huck Finn received more opposition than a book denouncing human trafficking would today. Sorry, side tangent!
I agree with everything that people have been saying about the unique characteristics of Tom, that being his general lack of societal influence and subsequently a lack of convention and morality that comes from society. What I think is very key in our interpretation of this book is that Huck's set of morals is very similar to society's. Huck is not amoral or immoral, because he has done good and bad things and learned from all of his decisions. From regretting lying to Jim to helping the sisters, Huck is constantly expanding his own sense of integrity and morality from his experiences. In this sense, Huck's morals are all aimed at the exact same thing as society's morality: intention to do good. Huck isn't very selfish; unlike the Duke and Dauphin, he only lies for his and Jim's protection instead of looking for monetary gain. His lies and deceptions all revolve around keeping his and Jim's friendship from being discovered, which is a very noble thing. Because he is detached from society, he is able to view Jim through a lens that the South was unable to comprehend at the time, as a person rather than property. In this way, Huck's intent is always to help his friend, not to hurt Ms. Watson or anyone else who he has deceived.
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