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Morals and calues in huck finn
What does huckleberry finn say about the concept of lying
Truth and lies in huckleberry finn
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Prompt 4 To begin with this book by Mark Twain is uncivilized free and wild thinking. For example Huckleberry Finn the main charterer is uncivilized because he is uneducated. This is mainly because his father didn't allow him to have an education “you think you’re better’n your father now, don’t you, because he can’t”(21) this was stated by pap the night he reappeared and he asked Huck to read to him.
That evening, Huck decides that the duke and the king are “frauds.” However, he “never [says] nothing, never [lets] on…” in order to “keep peace,” and ignores the issue. Huck only changes in regards to his opinions of the duke and king. In spite of that, Huck’s treatment of them does not change, therefore his character does not grow. Because Huck chooses not to say anything about the suspicious behavior of the duke and the king or present the issue, Huck’s dismissive nature is
Huck realized how bad Jim felt after he played this prank on him, and even though the time period they are in, Huck still felt bad for doing this to Jim. He vowed never to play a trick like that on him again, which shows that he sees Jim as a friend, and is treating him like a human being, rather than a slave. Another time when Huck demonstrates true friendships is when he did not turn Jim in. While Huck and Jim were traveling down the Mississippi, they ended up needing some more supplies so Huck had to go into town to get some things. While he was in town, he found out that some men were going to go looking for Jim on the island that they were staying on.
Adversity Leads to Maturation “Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values.” This quote from Joshua L. Liebman outlines the deeper theme in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. In the novel, the main character Huckleberry Finn, matures through adversity. Huck encounters immoral situations on the shore of the Mississippi River. The deformed conscience of the people on land force Huck to question his moral compass and overcome the stupid conformity of society.
In Huckleberry Finn, lying is a self-serving act that everybody does. Despite the idea that many readers see Huck as a moral sinner, he ultimately lies for his own self-interest and protection. The reader sympathizes with Huck because he is the narrator.
After lying to Jim and getting caught, Huck thinks on his actions. “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither” (86). Huck knows that his actions are wrong but struggles to apologize to Jim because he is conditioned to believe that Jim has no real value. Huck tries to break free from the influence of society and in doing so, he realizes that his actions are not morally acceptable. With no interference from society, Huck is therefore able to humble himself to Jim and treat him in a way that opposes society’s expectations.
In the Novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Huck Finn can lie well when he is doing it to help people he cares about or feels bad for. Huck’s life has been based on lies, but he can only lie presumably when he is not doing it for his own benefit. Huck’s lies are not believable when he is lying for selfish reasons. Huck lies out of necessity, so when he lies for a want instead of a need or to save someone else, the lies do not sound truthful. Huck’s ability to lie depends on the people he is with.
This passage is where I think Huck truly lost all this innocence because once one witnesses a massive bloody murder, there is no going back to pretend nothing happened. It reminds of a soldier suffering from PTSD. The vague diction presents how lost Huck is, and how he is trying to repress those memories, which reflects the cruelty in human nature and how a child’s innocence and be crushed instantly because of the adults a community
Huck did not follow his conscience and this causes him to start telling the truth. After Huck sees what the King and Duke have done to Mary Jane, her family, and all the others, Huck decides to tell Mary Jane the truth “These uncles of yourn ain't no uncles at all; they're a couple of frauds- regular deadbeats.” (Chapter 28) After she finds out, they make a plan to make sure her 'uncles' pay for tricking them.
Huck starts to lose his innocence because he witnessed some murderers committing crimes ruthlessly. At this point in the book, Mark Twain explores the idea of seeing the truth in our surrounding, and as we are more exposed to the outside world with unlimited information, we are restricted from the rules society creates. Also that as we gain knowledge, we lose our innocence and seeing a world without a
Throughout the rest of Huck 's journey he continues to meet people along the way that believe themselves to be good civilized people but they all contradict that in some way. The Grangerford 's are in a murdering feud with another family, the Phelps own slaves and are trying to get a reward for Jim, the townspeople that feather and tar the Duke and King without a trial, the execution of Boggs, even the Widow tells Huck not to smoke but takes snuff herself. Huck spends a large amount of time in the book pondering over how to be good and do the right things, and at the end of the book when he decides to go West and leave it all behind he has finally realized that he 's not the one that 's bad, society is. Huck heads back out into the world not for more adventure, but to get away from
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.
If Huck wouldn’t have lied, he would have still been stuck in the cabin with Pap beating him, Jim would be a slave sold off, the duke and dauphin would be stuck in that same river town and the entire novel wouldn’t have even happened without lies. Huck was forced to lie because what would others immediately suspect when they saw a child and a black man traveling alone? They would immediately think Jim was a runaway slave aided by the help of a white child and find a way to bring Jim back. There is so much lying because that is all the characters have learned and grown up with. They must lie and become someone else to receive what they want.
Along his journey he meets Jim and decides to help him reach the free states. Huck was raised by a white family and understands the practices and beliefs that are expressed among the household; however, he stays true to what he believes. This exemplifies his innocence, as he cannot understand why whites take advantage of blacks and use them as toys. His innocence greatly impacts his character, as he is willing to take all the risk of helping Jim run away from the slave state; innocence also allows Huck to see the world at a different angle. Huck sees this journey as a quest towards freedom for not only Jim but also himself.
Naturally, as his bond with Jim cultivates, Huck unknowingly treats him as a human. Through Huck’s sensibility, he states, “It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all … I hadn’t no objections, ‘long as it would keep peace in the family; and it warn’t no use to tell Jim, so I didn’t tell him” (Twain 125). Correspondingly, Huck gains a consideration for Jim and his personal feelings, which he expresses nonchalantly through motley aspects of their journey.
