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Why Is Huckleberry Finn A Classic

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What do you consider a classic novel? Does a classic novel have eloquent speeches, inspiring narratives, or simply an old publication date? Perhaps a classic novel may be defined as one that interests the reader or tugs at his or her heart. Mark Twain’s novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is regarded, by many, as a classic novel. But what is it that makes this book a classic? Why do pupils study it, and why do some people admire it? One may view it as merely an amusing children’s book or as a book that delves into human nature and conscience. Any opinion about Huckleberry Finn serves as a reason for why it remains under inspection today, but the most important reason is that under its dark covers, one will find goodness and truth. An example of goodness is in Chapter 31, when Huck was suffering from his conscience’s convictions for helping Jim, a runaway slave. …show more content…

He also felt guilty because he knew that legally, anyone who found a runaway slave had to betray him or her to the authorities, so that the slave could be returned to his or her owner. So, he resolved that he would do so with Jim. But then he thought about how kind and loving Jim had been to him, and he knew he would regret betraying him. As he narrated, “I was a trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it” (215). Huck believed that his decision would determine the destination of his eternal fate. “I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’... It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said.” At first glance, Huck’s statement seems wicked, but after pulling back the dark covers, one finds goodness and love. Since slavery is immoral, Huck did not choose poorly in deciding to

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976 Words | 4 Pages

By the end of the book, he had started to realize that he really did care about Jim. Huck is writing Miss Watson a letter towards the end of the book talking about where Jim is and how she can get him back. After writing the letter, Huck starts to think about the good times he had with Jim and says that “...somehow I couldn’t seem to strike no places for me to harden against him, but only the other kind.”(213). This was the most powerful part in the book for me because after thinking of all the good that Jim has brought him, he tears up the paper and says “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”(214). In Huck’s mind, he had the choice to send the letter and go to heaven or to try to save Jim and go to Hell for doing the wrong thing as far as the widow taught him.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Huck had multiple chances to turn Jim in or not to help him when he was in trouble, but he could never bring himself to turn his back on Jim. From the time they first saw each other on the river, Huck felt a certain loyalty toward Jim. They both agreed not to give away the other’s location, this agreement brought a loyalty between them. “ Well I did. I said I wouldn’t

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708 Words | 3 Pages

Huck Finn felt guilty and sympathized for Miss Watson when he steals her slave because she never did anything wrong to Huck. Miss Watson treated him well and tried to make Huck a better person. Huck believes that stealing her slave will condemn him to hell. Huck realizes that Jim treated him well and carded for him as a father figure and decided he will go to hell. At first, Huck is very muddled about what the appropriate thing to do is.

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867 Words | 4 Pages

A conversation about literature shaping novels would be incomplete without mention of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The novel has bold ideas and interestingly new story telling style. The novel takes place around the young narrator, Huckleberry Finn, and the runaway slave on their journey to freedom. The setting is 1830s Southern United States, along the Mississippi river. Huck runs away from his alcoholic father who had kidnapped him for his money, and allows his hometown to believe he is dead.

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526 Words | 3 Pages

In Chapter 16, when Huck sees Jim’s reaction to being near freedom, Huck describes his feeling as, “miserable”, “abusing”, “scorched”, and “die”. Although Jim is happy to face his future, Huck becomes burdened by societal beliefs and more importantly, his own moral values. For Huck, bestowing freedom to a slave is shameful and unethical; no different from one’s “property”. This also implies that Huck values the societies view more than his relationship with Jim. Later on, Huck’s view of the past changes as he separates his own conscience from the societal values.

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This leads into the main internal conflict that Huck must face. He must chose whether to break federal law by running away with Jim, a slave, or to do what society believes what is right and return him back to his owner. In the end, Huck chooses to not turn Jim in and go on a journey with him, defying the laws of the country. Johnson says that this recommends disobedience and defiance on the part of young people, however it does the opposite. This shows that Huck’s moral values are more in tune with making the right choice than society’s.

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981 Words | 4 Pages

“I was a-trembling because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it… ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’-and tore it up” (Twain 205). In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a warm-hearted, young teenager living in the 1840’s escapes from his abusive father and sails away on the Mississippi River. He encounters a recognizable, runaway slave named Jim and aids him on his quest to freedom. As the two encounter many hardships and obstacles (such as slave hunters, bandits, and con men), their friendship binds together despite the difference in skin color. The book, Huck Finn, contains three main themes that are still relevant today: friendship, education, and the nature of man.

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Huck decides to act on his morals rather than be held captive by society; Huck believes that he has to act in the best interest of Jim and does not consider what society believes is acceptable behavior. By stating that he will “go to hell,” Huck reiterates what he promises Jim in the beginning- that he rather be a “low down abolitionist”; these statements combined supports his feelings to protect Jim from society. When Huck and Tom get back to the house, Huck states, “...it don’t make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person’s conscience ain’t got no

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235 Words | 1 Pages

I believe it was the journey to shape Odysseus' character. Odysseus is a hero of Greece who faced the rage of the gods and survived. He faced the might of the Cyclops Polythemeas. Odysseus also met the seductress Circe who turned his men into animals. He even went to hell and back.

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458 Words | 2 Pages

It should be taught so people understand the horrible things black people experienced and that it should never happen again. In conclusion this is a very beautiful story of a strong bond between Huck, a young white boy, and Jim, an older black slave. There are many other characters that tie into their adventures but it’s special to read and see how their friendship strengthens through the hardships and trials they face. Huck and Jim both have kind hearts and a concern for other people as well as loyalty to each other. With that said, this is why I believe The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a true

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This transition is the result of the extended period of time that the two spend together, which allows Huck to look past the differences that he has been taught to observe for his entire life and view Jim for what he is; a fellow man. By the end of this passage, Huck’s resolve to do right by Jim is so strong that he is willing to suffer eternal damnation rather than betray Jim. Perhaps Huck’s most important statement in this passage is “Alright then, I’ll go to hell”; here he decides he’s willing to go to hell for eternity rather than causing Jim to return to his life as a slave. At first Huck just thought of Jim the property of another person, a good to be bought and sold regardless of any evidence that he was a human being. As they travel together, this viewpoint is gradually weakened by examples of Jim’s humanity, culminating in a model shift that goes against everything Huck has been taught about the societal status of a

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884 Words | 4 Pages

Huck has been burned with the idea that he is to blame for Jim’s escape. Huck ultimately feels guilty because he knows he has not done wrong but he has no reason not to believe what society thinks because he was only taught one way. Huck imagines an alternate scenario, thinking “s’pose [he]’d’ a’ done right and give Jim up, would [he] felt better... No…[he'd] feel bad” (91). Huck is aware that the right decision based on society is to give up Jim.

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This is a big moment as on many occasions before this, Huck wanted to stay friends with Jim, but was not completely sold on the idea that what he was doing was alright. Until this point he was constantly conflicted with whether or not he should turn in Jim. When he decided to save him from slavery, it was bigger than just letting him stay on the raft or not turning him in. He went out of his way to actively save a friend and break the law. At this moment he grew as an individual and decided he did not care about what everyone else believed, but what he had come to know himself.

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251 Words | 2 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel written by Mark Twain in 1884, tells the story of a young boy’s adventures, troubles, and experience growing up in America’s south during the 1800’s. The book has charmed readers for generations and has long become a great American classic. Personally, I did not enjoy The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I understand Twain’s desire to have the book come from a young boy’s perspective, but he did not execute this intention well. The book was choppy and difficult to read.

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1083 Words | 5 Pages

Specifically, through the controversy of slavery at the time, Huck learns how to listen to his intuition and conscience. His slight hesitation escaping with Jim makes him question the authenticity of his morality. He says, “I begun to get it through my head that he was most free--and who was to blame for it? Why, me … But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could ‘a’ paddled ashore and told somebody”

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