In Mark Twain's introductory notice to his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he denies that there is a moral or motive to the story. Despite this claim, several occurrences in the story prove that there is indeed a moral, and that therefore, the work contradicts its author. Throughout the novel, several situations exhibit developed evidence to support the theme that friendship is dependent on sacrifice.
Several events throughout the story, concerning the actions of protagonist Huckleberry Finn, prove the universal theme that friendship is dependent on sacrifice. One occurrence that proves this theme is that in which Huckleberry Finn attempts to write a letter to Miss Watson, Jim’s former owner, notifying her of Jim’s location in order
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He also defied his accepted values to retain his friendship with Jim, and in doing so, strengthened it. The relationship formed between the two criminals, Huckleberry, and Jim is another example of the necessity of sacrifice for friendship. When the crooks join Huckleberry and Jim on the raft, they claim to be a king and a duke. While Huckleberry knows that they are obviously lying, he continued to appease them and treat them like royalty. Huckleberry and Jim sacrificed their peaceful, isolated lifestyle in order to help these crooks with their schemes. Quickly, the efforts and sacrifices of Huckleberry and Jim to take care of the two led to the formation of a (though weak) bond of friendship between the two parties. A final instance of the necessity of sacrifice for friendship is that of the relationship between Huckleberry and Tom Sawyer at the end of the novel. Though Huckleberry is aware of an easy way to obtain the freedom of Jim, he consents with almost all of Tom’s suggestions, which extended the escape for weeks and severely over-complicated the situation. However, through their experiences with the plan and the toil that was required of