ipl-logo

Huckleberry Finn Deformed Conscience Quotes

458 Words2 Pages

Mark Twain once said The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was where ‘a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat.’ In this essay, I will be explaining the quote: ‘But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me, and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I’ve been there before,’ in terms of Mark Twain’s words.

Concerning ‘deformed conscience’, it is addressed in the quote, where Huckleberry Finn said that Aunt Sally was going to adopt and ‘sivilize’ him. In the early 1800s, when the novel was set, people had a set concept about their lives. Young boys like Huckleberry Finn were expected to be ‘civilized’, or well behaved, posh and religious. On another note, this conscience also refers to people’s belief that African American slaves weren’t humans, but merely property. That was the prevalent mindset of people at the time, and it forms a strong comparison to the ‘strong heart’ of Huckleberry Finn. …show more content…

Throughout the novel, Huck scorned upon the idea of civilization. From the start, he already claimed his distaste towards Widow Douglas and Miss Watson ‘civilizing’ him. He obviously didn’t like the ‘civilized’ life, as he kept running off to have adventures with his best friend Tom Sawyer, and even escaping from civilization while travelling with Jim. During his journey down the Mississippi River, without the control of society, Huck began to develop his own sense of morals, struggling between his own moral standard and the ‘deformed conscience’ of society. In the end, his ‘strong heart’ broke through, and he decided to escape from the incorrect moral standards and confines of the society, and

Show More
Related
1048 Words | 5 Pages

One of the people Twain doesn’t admire is The King because he portrays him as a river con man who claims to be a dissapeared heir to the French Throne who also takes control of Huck and Jim’s raft. Pap would be another character who is not admirable because he treated his son worse than a slave owner treated a slave. The Duke is also portrayed as a bad man because he is The King’s side-kick who is also a con man. The Shepherdsons were also a group of unadmirable people because they shot Buck Grangerford along with his family. Mrs. Loftus is a little bit unadmirable because she didn’t let Huck have any of her food or things that he was in need of.

Read More
935 Words | 4 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an American classic, it was the starting point for all great American Literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been awarded all of these honorable titles because of its abnormal and controversial plot line. During the time period when the book was written, it was unacceptable to view African- American’s as anything other than slaves. They were viewed as inferior to whites and were treated like property, they had no rights. The main character of the book, Huck, disagrees and disobeys these norms and pushes the boundaries of society when he becomes friends with a slave from his childhood; Jim.

Read More
2304 Words | 10 Pages

When one reads The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, themes involving morality and conscience become heavily prevalent. The protagonist, Huckleberry Finn, portrays a manifest dynamic character. His actions and statements ranging from the outset of the novel through its ending show Huck’s development of a more concise sense of morality and conscience prevailing over the societal influences of “right and wrong”. In the nineteenth century American South, the inescapable system of slavery and social hierarchy would have discouraged an interracial bond. Yet Huck, while escaping his abusive father, chooses to befriend Jim, the runaway slave whom he encounters, and shares a pivotal stage in his life with his newfound companion, whereby contradicting

Read More
979 Words | 4 Pages

Likewise, critic Laurel Bollinger describes Huck as “…courageous enough to stand against the moral conventions of his society…rather than conform to the "sivilizing" process of communities he rejects” (Bollinger). During his epiphany, he truly sees all the flaws in a “sivilized” life and realizes he cannot live his life according to ideals he does not agree with. Consequently, Huck decides, “And for a starter, I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again…” (Twain 215). He resolves to ignore what society thinks, because society’s beliefs are fallacious.

Read More
1078 Words | 5 Pages

Though they have different motives for leaving their pasts, both characters feel they need to leave the life they have settled into. For Huck, he needs to escape his abusive father and confinement of the cabin. He suffers through living with his father for a while, but Huck becomes so miserable he cannot stay any longer. He even adds that “it was dreadful lonesome,” saying “[he] made up [his] mind [that he] would fix up some way to leave there” (Twain 34). In this moment, Huck determines he will not live confined to some shack in the woods, stifled by his father’s rules.

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

“I was a-trembling because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it… ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’-and tore it up” (Twain 205). In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a warm-hearted, young teenager living in the 1840’s escapes from his abusive father and sails away on the Mississippi River. He encounters a recognizable, runaway slave named Jim and aids him on his quest to freedom. As the two encounter many hardships and obstacles (such as slave hunters, bandits, and con men), their friendship binds together despite the difference in skin color. The book, Huck Finn, contains three main themes that are still relevant today: friendship, education, and the nature of man.

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

Morality is as a particular system of values and principles of conduct, especially one held by a specified person or society. Throughout the Novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, Huck faces many instances where he encounters moral conflict. Society shapes Huck's deformed moral conscience. His growth illustrates his independent personality and moral progress. Huck is put into numerous situations where he must decide within himself the right action to take however he falls under pressure of society and does what is best for him.

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the rest of Huck 's journey he continues to meet people along the way that believe themselves to be good civilized people but they all contradict that in some way. The Grangerford 's are in a murdering feud with another family, the Phelps own slaves and are trying to get a reward for Jim, the townspeople that feather and tar the Duke and King without a trial, the execution of Boggs, even the Widow tells Huck not to smoke but takes snuff herself. Huck spends a large amount of time in the book pondering over how to be good and do the right things, and at the end of the book when he decides to go West and leave it all behind he has finally realized that he 's not the one that 's bad, society is. Huck heads back out into the world not for more adventure, but to get away from

Read More
795 Words | 4 Pages

But when Pap disappears, the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson take Huck in and attempt to civilize him by giving him new, clean clothes, teaching him to read and write, and teaching him manners. Huck’s immaturity is evident in the beginning of the story with accounts of Huck’s shenanigans with Tom. He ruins his fresh clothes, sneaks out at night, gets in fights, joins a “robber gang”, and goes on adventures with his friends. His actions show that his morals aren't present and he could care less about trying to do the right thing and be a good boy for the Widow and Miss Watson.

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

Through Huck’s fluctuating beliefs he shows how often humanity exhibits hypocrisy without even realizing it. When Miss Watson had taken Huck in she had wanted him to become more respectable, she wanted to make sure he knew what was right and

Read More
58 Words | 1 Pages

In understanding his deform conscience, Huckleberry Finn embark on a quest through racism in a realism setting. Huckleberry Finn statement, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell,” was a liberal decision so as to distance himself from the harsh southern society. Huckleberry Finn shows that he’s humane. He seems to be interested in what other has to

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

Civilization cages Huck in, “[Widow Douglas] would civilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time”(1). While the Widow keeps Huck safe, she also prevents him from being free. The civilized life is not the best for Huck, because he wants to do what he likes whenever he can. While society takes away some freedom, it provides knowledge for Huck, “[I] could spell, and read, and write just a little”(11).

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

Mark Twain emphasizes the theme that a person's morals are more powerful than the corrupt influence of society in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Based on how Huck Finn views the world and forms his opinions, he does not know the difference between right and wrong. In the novel, Huck escapes civilized society. He encounters a runaway slave, Jim, and together they travel hopes of freedom. But along the way, Huck and Jim come across troubles that have Huck questioning his motives.

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the reader gauges morality through the misadventures of Huck and Jim. Notably, Huck morally matures as his perspective on society evolves into a spectrum of right and wrong. Though he is still a child, his growth yields the previous notions of immaturity and innocence. Likewise, Mark Twain emphasizes compelling matters and issues in society, such as religion, racism, and greed. During the span of Huck’s journey, he evolves morally and ethically through his critique of societal normalities.

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

He wants everything to go the way that he planned, nor does he want to follow the rules and regulations of civilization. He is a very down to earth type of person, he doesn’t want to be told how to do anything, he realizes this very quickly when he starts to live with Widow Douglas. She has an infinite amount of rules for living in her house, and Huck gets an example of that when he says “Widow Douglas took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me, but it was rough living in the same house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the Widow Douglas was in all her ways, and so when I couldn’t take it anymore I lit out.” pg. 23

Read More

More about Huckleberry Finn Deformed Conscience Quotes

Related Topics

Open Document