Huckleberry Finn Essay

Huckleberry Finn, the focal point of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, matures greatly during the duration of the novel. Huck, as he prefers to go by, develops throughout his adventures. The difficult situations that he goes through help to strengthen his morals and create a strong personality. He is still a child so he will not become as mature as an adult but he truly advances towards becoming "sivilized." Mark Twain shows how the main character develops and grows in many scenes throughout the story. Each adventure that Huck goes on, allows him to learn valuable life lessons that help him evolve and become a better person. He ends up treating all those whom he originally had low respect for, he shows higher maturity by treating them better later on.

In the early days after Huck's escape, he stumbles upon Jim, Miss Watson's slave. “But mind, you said you wouldn' tell—you know you said you wouldn' tell, Huck." "Well, I did. I said I wouldn't, and I'll stick to it. Honest INJUN, I will" (Twain 103). In this quote, Jim is pleading with Huck to have him not tell anyone that he is a runaway slave. Huck agrees to not tell and promises that he will keep this a secret. At this point, they are still on Jackson Island, they are hiding from the initial search parties. Unfortunately, the townspeople feel that Jim may be involved with Huck's "death." Of Jim is captured by anyone of the town, he will be murdered, Huck begins to show compassion by protecting a slave. He is beginning to realize that there may be not such a difference between a black man and a white man. This is a strong character development because it shows morals and the start of a strong will and conscience. “I was sorry to hear Jim say that, it was such a lowering of him. My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever” (Twain 201). At this point, Huck and Jim were floating down the river on their raft. They were looking for the town of Cairo so that Jim could become a free man. Each light that they seen, Jim would ask “Dah she is?” but each time, there was no luck. Jim was saying muttering to himself his ideas of what to do when free. He had hoped to work enough to buy his wife out so that they could be together, after that the two would work to pay for their children. Huck was disturbed by this because was starting to see how important Jim's family was to him. He was shocked to think that this black slave truly did have compassion. Huck was starting to develop care for his adventure partner. He felt bad for lying to him about the mix up with the storm. Jim was starting to play an important role in Huck's life, he made Huck see the importance of a strong friendship and honesty. Huck would use this throughout the later adventures with the Duke and Dauphin. He will see the strength within a relationship built upon honesty and trust.

Huck's conscience is guided by the lessons that he learns, he is young but he develops wisdom at a young age, something that will guide him to do better throughout the rest of the novel. The main instance in which Huck uses this is during his times with the Duke and Dauphin.“It didn't take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn't no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds" (Twain 278). This was the beginning stages of the adventures with the Duke and King. The two had just acquainted themselves with Jim and Huck along with other members of the town. They were claiming to be a French king, one man caught them on it and said for that to be true, they would have had to be a few hundred years old. They managed to discredit this and gain the following of the townspeople. The king actually was able to get a few people to bow in front of him as a form of respect. Huck could easily see through their lies and was able to notice that they weren't prim and proper enough to be royalty. He sees that they are not the worst of people and keeps their fraud a secret. He hates to see how Jim is so

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