Huckleberry Finn Moral Development

In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, readers are shown the development of a young boy named Huckleberry Finn. Twain shows Huck develop in morality, character, and attitude as he takes steps into maturity while going down the Mississippi River. These developments are shown through his search for freedom from a corrupt and immoral society and his own personal observations of that society. Most importantly, we understand what is going on in Huck's head when he is faced with a difficult moral decision. Huck's hatred toward civilized life and society and it's beliefs is what kicks off his development and growth. At first, Huck is shown as an ignorant twelve year old who is born into the harsh life of pre civil war America. He lives

Huck enjoys the relief from religion and the civilized life at first. He later realized he was still trapped in the corrupted society. His father's treatment of him is constantly tyrannical. Huck is subjected to everything ranging from beatings from his father to being locked up for days at a time. Huck, realizing how cruel people of society can be, escapes from his father and finds himself on Jackson island. There, Huck runs into Jim, a slave who is owned by Miss Watson. Huck, understanding the differences between the two are insignificant, agrees to travel with Jim, who has the same motive as Huck to run away. Freedom. Jim is literally searching for freedom from slavery, and Huck who is searching for freedom from society. Because of this, Huck has learned to act based off his instincts rather and his intelligence rather than what society has taught him. Huck, accepting Jim as a person and traveling with him shows Huck's changing attitude which marks the beginning of his

On the river, two men who say they are the King and Duke invade Huck and Jim's raft. In reality, They are con artists on a constant scheme to steal from victims who are unsuspecting of them. Through out the novel, Huck is always trying to evade confrontation from anyone. The same is true in the case of the King and Duke. Huck initially doesn't do much or anything at all to stop the con men from taking their victims money. Huck's inactivity towards the King and the Duke's schemes soon end as they expand their con to Mary Jane and her sisters. They are one of the few people in the novel that are perceived as compassionate and loving. The two con men fake being their uncles in an effort to claim their deceased father's money and estate. Huck, who is sympathetic of Mary Jane's sorrow as the King and Duke take away every thing they have, reveals to everyone that the King and Duke are tricksters and he hides the money which ruins their