The Development of Morals in a Young Man
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was written by Mark Twain in 1885. It is the story of a mischievous young man named Huckleberry Finn living in pre-Civil War America. He finds himself the possesser of a small fortune and being raised by two women--a widow and a Miss Watson--which is a big change from living on the streets with his alcoholic father. Although Huck wishes for nothing more than freedom, he is now constrained by society’s expectations of how he should conduct himself. Huckleberry Finn tells of an adolescent boy who is struggling to find his moral compass without a true north, and his growth in character, even in difficult times.
At the beginning of the book, we see that Huck has been off of the streets for awhile now, but his street smarts haven’t faded at all. He gets a sense that something is about to go wrong, and he promptly transfers his wealth to Judge Thatcher. It proves to be a good decision, as Huck’s father soon comes looking for the money. When he finds out that Huck is no longer in possession of the money, he kidnaps his son, and takes him to live in a poor hut down by the river. After suffering through his father’s abuse, Huck fakes his own
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Mark Twain never fails to wrap a life lesson in a quick wit and cover it with humorous obstacles. After I read it, I found myself asking how often I had the courage to stick to what I thought to be right--regardless of society’s perceptions of my beliefs. Twain may oftentimes be regarded an author of adolescent novels, but I find his writing to be a challenging read. Not only in the fact that the phrasing and vocabulary takes some getting used to, but also because he had this uncanny ability to see the problems in society and write about it, all the while disregarding the boundaries of what was ‘socially acceptable.’ His flamboyant writing style makes this a good read for anyone with a sense of