Huck Finn Becoming a Man
Merriam-Webster defines coming of age as the attainment of prominence, respectability, recognition or maturity. During his young life, Huckleberry Finn is subject to many dilemmas and conflicts and he must decide if he will choose his path for himself or let society choose it for him. His lifestyle choices and decision making skills mature over time and are evidence of his growing maturity in spite of the lack of a stable family. He repeatedly makes choices that will test his willingness to do what it right even while he endures the pressure of his life changing so quickly. Huck has unquestionable personal responsibilities and pressure thrust upon him when he decides to run away from his abusive and drunkard father who has kidnapped him. Fortunately for Huck, Jim comes along early in the story to help guide him into a mature and responsible man. Mark Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , allows the reader to follow Huckleberry Finn through his emotional journey as he grows physically, mentally and more importantly morally to experience his coming of age.
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“The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer, I lit out.” (1). ‘Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn’t. She said it was a mean practice and wasn’t clean, and I must try to not do it any more.” (2). Even after he is adopted by the Widow Douglas and is given the opportunity for an education and family, Huck decides regularity and non-smoking rules are no fun and he longs to go back to his old lifestyle where people are not trying to civilize