Examples Of Huckleberry Finn Conformity

Among many individuals, acceptance is one of the most desired things. They crave the feeling of belonging and can take serious measures in order to achieve this. Changing hair color or clothing style are just two of the ways people succumb to conformity. Mark Twain, the author of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, covers conformity through Huck’s adventures and struggles while traveling the Mississippi. Author of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass addresses conformity using his experiences and misunderstandings society has about slavery. Although it is believed that Twain and Douglass reveal that conformity is beneficial, they believe it is detrimental because it suppresses individuality, encourages the targeting

In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck becomes conflicted about turning Jim in and says, “-s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad-I’d feel just the same way I do now. Well, then, says I, what’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong… ”(Twain 69). Huck being stuck on the fence about what would make him feel better shows that societal norms and being expected to conform is him losing his originality. No matter what, Huck knows he will feel bad; if he conforms it is immoral, and if he does not he feels like he has done wrong. This leads to his internal battle of knowing what is wrong and right. In the same piece, although he does not know what it means, Tom Sawyer insists on the gang doing ransom. He yells at Huck for questioning him, “‘Why blame it all, we’ve got to do it. Don’t I tell you it’s in the books? Do you want to go doing different from what’s in the books, and get things all muddled up?’” (Twain 7). Tom saying that they must follow the book shows how he conforms to society blindly and does not think for himself.

Those who conform are all alike, which makes them have to look for those who are different. After Huck begins writing a letter to Tom to tell Miss Watson where Jim is, he gives up and thinks of the consequences, “And then think of me! It would get all around, that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was to ever see anybody from that town again, I’d be a ready to get down and lick his boots for shame” (Twain 160). People finding out that Huck helped out Jim would make him even more of an outcast, which proves how society targets outsiders. At the time, helping a slave was immoral, because they were property, so if they escaped it was seen as property theft. People who are individuals and go against the social norm are shamed and become outcasts. When ranting, Colonel Sherburn brings up outcasts that were harmed and says, “‘Because you’re brave enough to tar and feather poor friendless cast-out women that come along here, did that make you think you had grit enough to lay your hands on a man?’” (Twain 110). The people in the town hurting women passing by town is important in showing the treatment of outcasts. The women, because they were different and not superior, got tarred and feathered, despite not doing anything wrong. People found this an amusing thing to do. Conformity makes people look for outsiders,