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Huckleberry Finn: Who Is Only A Name?

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Huckleberry Finn is the title character, the protagonist and the narrator of the story. We get to see the world of the novel through the young boy’s eyes.
The very first piece of information we learn when we read a literary work is the name of the characters existing in the novel. With respect to Huckleberry, it is not clear as to why this character has been given such an unusual name, however there are some hypotheses regarding this issue.
Some scholars, such as Walter Blair, gave some thought to this matter and determined that Huckleberry is “only a nickname”. (as cited by James L. Colwell in Huckleberries and humans: On the naming of Huckleberry Finn). However, there are other scholars who contradict what Blair suggested, because Twain refers …show more content…

The fruit itself denotes something small that does not need cultivation in order to grow. This is true for Huck as well, because he does not need the environment around him to tell him what to do, but he can make his decisions on his own without being influenced by the society. Also the fruit signifies his lower social standing. Concerning his last name, it is believed that it was taken from an Irishman who was an excessive drinker. (Colwell, 1971)
Huck is a round character because he undergoes a drastic transformation due to many conflicts that he experiences throughout the novel. From a social outcast he becomes a kind of hero. Due to the impossibility of elaborating every detail of this complex character, this thesis focuses only in some aspects of his character.
Huck grew up without a mother, and later on at the end of the novel he finds out that his father is dead as well. This helps him establish his own set of beliefs, not what society wanted him to believe (or at least tried to). Bloom (2003) even considers Huck as “a miracle of self-emancipation” due to his non-conformist attitude toward prevailing practices and principles in the nineteenth-century America. There are many individuals who want to change him, and he eventually changes as the story …show more content…

He does not attempt to prevent this plan, or make another one instead, but they go ahead to proceed with their execution of the plan just so they can satisfy their needs for adventure. Nevertheless, his ill-treatment of Jim can be justified from the fact that he is still learning to be a friend to him and as Huck comes to know him better he matures and even asks for his forgiveness. After all, what must not be overlooked is the fact that he is only a thirteen-year-old boy and his actions must be judged based on his age. However, Shrum comes on Huck’s defense by saying that “with each new joke or trick he plays on Jim, Huck is struck with an increasing sense of shame and penitence for what he has done, gradually acquiring an understanding of Jim’s equality and value as a human being and father figure.” (Shrum, 2014b, p.1). Whatever the case may be, considering the period in which the novel is set, it is admirable of Huck befriending a

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Since he is the one that describes all of the events and situations that he encounters, everything that occurs in the novel has influences from his perspective. Huck is uneducated fourteen year old boy that lives in St. Petersburg in the 1840s. His perspective illustrates instances where that mindset shines through since he does not know anything other than what society wants him too. Due to how the Antebellum era influences Huck, he is an unreliable narrator-one who is not capable of understanding the significance of the events that he comments on and describes. He is not intentionally unreliable, however because he does not receive a full education and is not a many yet, he is not capable of proving the full perspective on major issues that he encounters.

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Huck sees Jim as just property and an ignorant slave who is below him. He does not really care about him very much, but we see that he cares enough to risk helping a black man get to the free states. We see Huck play a trick on Jim when he puts a snake next to Jim when he is sleeping and scaring him half to death when Jim woke up.. Huck just sits there and laughs at Jim. This is the typical 14 year old who loves to play tricks on the adults.

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Jim cares dearly for Huck and treats him like a son. When they were separated Jim is more concerned with Huck’s well being than his own, showing his selflessness and maturity. Huck never having anyone truly care about him, doesn’t know how to react and decides rather than give back affection, to prank Jim: "What's the matter with you, Jim? You been a-drinking?"’(ch 15 p 83), Huck acts like the whole ordeal never even happened to lighten the mood. Eventually when Jim catches on to the prank, he is not at all amused.

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Huckleberry Finn was an outcast in the town of St. Petersburg that was the son of the town drunkard. He was hated by all the mothers with a passion. They hated him because he was wild, bad, and uncivilized. Huck did not have to answer to anyone and was free to do anything he choose to do. Another reason for despising him would be because all of their children wanted to be like him.

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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

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Huck’s thoughts represent his conscience overruling society and his emotions are more influential. Huck begins to see a glimpse of how he is working against

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Huck would be characterized as a proponent of individuality rather than conformity. Furthermore, Huck did not apprehend slavery and its contribution to productivity. Slavery is so inhumane and blacks should have just as much rights as whites. Towards the end of the novel, Huck’s true innocence is shown when he helps Jim escape his confinement at the Phelps’ house. Innocence got the better of him since he was debating whether he should inform Ms. Watson about Jim’s dilemma or should he save him.

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