Huckleberry Finn Moral Analysis

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, a young boy, and Jim, a runaway slave, go on a great adventure down the Mississippi River while trying to gain freedom and find themselves. Though Huck has no mother, he has an abusive father whom he rarely sees excluding his rare visits for alcohol money. He lives with Ms. Watson, a kind woman whom Jim works for. Huck and Jim, both with equally difficult lives, form a friendship that would be seen as a sin to society. Any orphan or teenager brought up in an abusive relationship can relate to Huck and his difficult adolescent years. While traveling the river, Huck constantly struggles to deal with morally based decisions, race, and friendship in order to become a mature, young adult; likewise, one might face the same struggles while one their own journey.

For example, when he debates about turning Jim in for the reward. In this situation, the “right decision” depends on the perspective. To society, the right thing would be to turn Jim in since he’s a runaway, but to Huck, the right thing would be to help Jim out and keep him from being captured by slave traders. While growing up, people are faced with situations similar to Huck’s where they’re faced with two choices, both equally reasonable, and are forced to choose between them. Another example showing morality is when Huck goes to Mrs. Loftus’ house and pretends to be Sarah Williams to find out the latest gossip since he left town. “The woman kept looking at me pretty curious, and I didn’t feel a bit comfortable. Pretty soon she