Huckleberry Finn Conscience Quotes

Alex DECHELLE F Block

Huckleberry Finn Essay

Huck’s conscience over the course of the novel

Over the course of the book the characters describe to us their stroll down the Mississippi River, the two protagonists ,Huck and Jim, develop a powerful connection through their shared experiences and from their escapes out of any situation: from the hands of a slave hunter to the ones of burglars. This allowed them to face the numerous adventures they encountered along their way and made them become more courageous men.

Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story of Huck, a slave who runs away from his master Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, and finds himself forced to take care of himself while helping

As an example, when huck does not understand the widow’s thoughts on religion : “Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody, being gone, you see, yet finding a power of fault with me for doing a thing that had some good in it” (chapter 1). The early passages in the book reflect his restricted environment and shows that he is too young and immature to appreciate his actual situation. He instantly regrets his fate and starts to think about breaking the rules forced upon him by his master while dreaming of freedom without knowing the true consequences of his acts. An early indication of Huck’s growing maturation involves his regrets about playing a practical joke on Jim involving a dead snake “I found a rattlesnake inside. I killed it and curled him up at the foot of Jim’s blanket.” (chapter 10). However we can observe Huck’s maturity evolving in this passage as soon as he regrets his actions. “And it all happened because I’d been a fool” (chapter

Po’ niggers can’t have no luck. I awluz ‘spected dat rattlesnake-skin warn’t done wid its work.’ ‘I wish I’d never seen that snake-skin, Jim—I do wish I’d never laid eyes on it.’ P92 “It ain’t yo’ fault, Huck; you didn’ know. Don’t you blame yo’self ‘bout it.’” (chapter 17). In this dialogue, Huck is beginning to show a more powerful conscience and sense of responsibility from his actions. Both passages demonstrate that he is beginning to understand the meaning of actions and their consequences. This process of growing continues for the rest of the novel, as seen when Huck, felt remorse about his position in the “dirty jobs”. For example, he felt uncomfortable when he was told to rob the Wilks girls of their inheritance: “I says to myself, this is another one that I’m letting him rob her of her money. And when she got through they all jest laid theirselves out to make me feel at home and know I was amongst friends. I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind’s made up; I’ll hive that money for them or bust.” (chapter