The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, follows the life of a young lad in rural America during the 1840s. In an attempt to escape the abuse of his father, he fakes his own death and begins a journey down the Mississippi River. However, he soon encounters a runaway slave belonging to a lady that had taken him under her wing while his father was absent. He initially feels responsibile to return the slave, Jim, back to his owner, but he ends up helping him escape. They travel down the river on a raft together, experiencing many adventures in small towns and families along the way. They ultimately end up in the household of Tom Sawyer's aunt and uncle: Jim as a captured runaway slave and Huck mistaken for Tom Sawyer. Tom shows up, pretending to be his brother Sid, and devises an elaborate plan to free Jim. Tom's plan, with the help of Huck and Jim, eventually comes to fruition and Jim gets away. However, Tom gets shot in the leg in the process, and Jim sacrifices his freedom to help him. The story concludes with Tom revealing that Jim has actually been a free man the whole time, as his late owner freed him in her will; and Jim confessing that he saw Huck's father's dead body on their way down the river. Their entire trip was pointless except for the adventure …show more content…
He contemplates the pros and cons of siding with Jim, and therefore his conscience, in this matter. He decides it outweighs his desire to live the way Providence would want, which he's been taught results in going to heaven. He's aware of the consequence this would bring if the Bible were true, but he's willing to risk it. At the beginning of the story, he's rather unsure of and indifferent towards the religion those around him are enforcing on him, but by the end, he makes up his mind that it's not worth it for him, and he's not worthy of