Essay On The Effects Of Conscience In Huckleberry Finn

The Effects of Society on the Conscience In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn is not the average boy with a tough life. Most people grow up into being what society preaches and how their families raise them, but Huck managed to beat the cycle. The law, religion, and family in his life warp his vision and make his actions a lot harder than they would have been if the rules were different. Huck’s conscience is always telling him to stop what he is doing and to “do the right thing.” Turning Jim in is supposedly the correct thing to do. Throughout the story Huck struggles with deciding between right and wrong. Religion, family, and law all play a big role in Huck’s thinking process but in the end, his sound heart is more powerful.

Black Americans are forced to deal with society’s racist views. He grows up in a time period where slavery is legal and blacks are looked down upon. His perception and opinions on slavery are his main struggle. According to the law, Huck is the wrongdoer. Once Huck comes to the realization that he is technically committing a crime, his conscience kept saying, “But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody” (109). Huck feels nothing but guilt for doing such a thing when in reality, he is just being a good friend. The law forces Huck to question his actions time and time again, to the point where he almost betrays Jim. It poisons people’s brains into believing they are above different races. Although Huck looks down upon Jim, he truly did care about him. He cares about him so much, that he disregarded what his conscience kept telling him. He realizes that his thoughts don’t matter when he said, “It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming” (242) Huck prefers to “go to hell” for Jim if it means he does not have to turn on him. Friendship overpowers society’s