Huckleberry Finn Moral Development Essay

Morality is defined as the principles for which people treat one another, respect for justice, and the welfare and rights of others. Moral development is gained from major experiences that can change viewpoints on life or cause people to make a difficult choice in a tough situation. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one of Mark Twain’s major themes evident in the book is the moral development of Huck FInn, the main character. In the beginning of the book, Huck’s lack of morals and uncultured personality is a product of living with his abusive, demoralized father. 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. Eventually in Chapter 4, Huck admits that the Widow’s ways are growing on him and says “I liked the old ways best, but I was getting so I liked the new

Following Jim’s orders, Huck doesn’t even make a move towards the body. This shows a very big step toward maturation because in his old, adventurous ways, he wouldn't have listened to such a request with a dead body sitting right there -- like in a adventure movie or book. It also is the first time he listened to an adult, let alone a black slave in the pre-civil war era. This reveals that Huck isn’t conforming to societal norms and has good morals by listening to someone he has respect for whether he realizes it or