Why Is Huck Finn Being Sivilized

The act of questioning society is one that many maturing young adults go through as they try to understand civilization. In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, we as readers gain perspective into the mind of a young teenage boy who is conflicted between an uncivilized verse civilized way of life. Twain seems to suggest that going through life with a want to be uncivilized is more desirable and fulfilling. Through the language of Huck Finn, Twain suggests that leading a civilized lifestyle is not beneficial to us as human beings.

Huck, who is a child in a book, has a lot of room for development. In the beginning, he was taught to follow the rules of society like practicing Catholicism and refusing to associate with slaves. However, during Huck’s journey with Jim, he learns a valuable lesson about respecting people based on their character, despite what he was taught by Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, and Tom Sawyer. During the first few days of his journey, he pulls pranks on Jim, like attempting to trick him into thinking that getting lost in the fog was all a dream. However, later on in his journey, he refuses to follow the rules of society in order to save Jim. He even says “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” when he chooses not to tell Miss Watson Jim’s whereabouts (Twain 214). Jim in turn sees Huck as a great friend as well, thus showing how Huck is now seen as a

That is to say it is an educated, religious, good mannered, and a society boy. Everything about Huck says anti-society, except for the way he treats blacks, on and off. His future is set out for him, and it seems quite perfect, but because he despises society and its people he can not trust Sally or her perspectives. Thus he can not be civilized like we saw prior in the book. Again history is repeating itself, making the argument the Huck has made no progress in the book: but that is like saying WW1 and WW2 were fought for different reasons. Because he can’t really “stand” being any of these things , nor the idea or right or wrong his life becomes a war between him and Society. In change for this fight he wants to move out west with Indians, which is possibly the perfect people for him to strive and find himself. They are white, uncultured people whom roam free and survive off the land; does this not sound like Huck himself? But why does he want to leave his loving family and his dear friend

Mark Twain use Huck’s inability to adapt to sivilization illustrates his discomfort with the way people view his way of living. Huck refuses to neglect his heart and conscience, even when he will be seen as an outcast. When Huck was staying with the Widow Douglas “she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me….and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied ”(1). Though urged by society to accept sivilization, Twain chooses to have Huck refuse because he feels society isn't morally right. Twain’s views society as egotistic. Huck is urged,

Huck was born in a time when blacks were treated as another race and where everyone should pray to god and only do right, however he was a rebel and committed sins many times, and was friend with a black slave named Jim. These actions could lead us to believe that Mark Twain wanted to tell us how we can live how we wanted and didn’t have to live how other wanted us to, and to overall be your own person. Even though Huck was somewhat illiterate,had an abusive father, and went through many hardships throughout this novel, Huck could not have been a better main character nor could he have been a more admirable hero.

Even from the beginning, it was evident that Tom is living in a sort of fantasy world. He had Huck join his band of "robbers", inspired by novels he had read. Anything Huck tries to do is only made more difficult to accomplish by Tom. This characteristic of Tom is brought out again in the last section of the novel. While Huck changes completely by the last few pages, Tom does not. He still does not have much common sense- his game puts Huck and Jim at risk of injury or even death. He makes everything more difficult for them and is only getting them into more and more trouble. Though Tom did not seem to mean much by it, he puts Huck and Jim in danger often. He stubbornly refuses to simply set Jim free rather than dragging them both through his

In a sense, Tom represents the civilized society that Huck and Jim leave behind on their flight down the river. When Tom reappears with his fancied notions of escape from the Phelps farm, Jim again becomes a gullible slave and Huck becomes a simple agent to Tom. There is no doubt that Tom is intelligent, and he does state that they will free Jim immediately if there is trouble, but the ensuing ruse suggests that Tom is unable to shake society and the Romantic idealism he possesses, even when Jim 's freedom is at stake.

The society Huck grew up with had a variety of morals. Huck’s ideology is influenced in the beginning of the story by the widow and miss watson, two sisters with big plans for Huck. They want Huck to become a “moral” person who does good all the time. They have him attend church and school to reach these ends. Huck and his friends understood

Society believed that black people should not have any rights, that they should be treated as objects. However, after spending a small amount of time with Jim, Huck has a gut feeling that society’s expectations are not morally acceptable. Morals are shaped off experiences, not influences. Despite the pressure brought upon by society, Huck’s morals are not influenced by those around him. He chose to protect Jim. When Huck was not surrounded by society’s influence, he was able to make the decision that he believed was morally correct. His open-mindedness allowed him to form the idea that Jim is just as much of a person as he is, even if that gets him in trouble. Twain believes morals are able to be shaped by experience as long as the person is open-minded. Huck, however, is one of the very few that are open-minded in society. Huck and Jim continued to stick together throughout the story until one night they were separated by fog. The fog did not clear up until the next morning and that is when Huck found Jim sleeping. He took it upon himself to wake Jim up and play a trick on him. However, Jim soon figured out that Huck was messing with him and accused him for “thinkin’ ‘bout was how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren’s en makes ‘em ashamed”(85). Jim is a real human being with feelings. At first, Huck does

Twain argues it was not only the slaves who were bound in slavery but also everyone else around them. Since Jim is a slave who ran away, Huck is socially expected to go and report him, but Huck said he “ain’t agoing to tell” anyone about Jim (32). Huck is breaking widespread belief and not partaking in what is expected of a white boy. Huck’s freedom is more ingrained than any expectations anyone has for him and is one of his greatest qualities. Slavery is a set of rules everyone participates in and to step out of that and treat an African American person as a person is a very difficult thing because society is not accepting of it. Earlier in Huck’s adventure, after he was adopted by a widow, she spoke to Huck about religion and the benefits of prayer, Huck did not seem to understand the purpose of it all. The Widow spoke of “spiritual gifts” that were to be attained by prayer, a concept that confused Huck because he did not see how it helped anyone. Huck quickly finds the flaws within the concept of religion and decides he “wouldn’t worry about it anymore, but just let it go,” especially since it does not help him in any way (8). Huck does not see how praying will benefit him and therefore decides that he will have nothing to do with religion. There is also a social connection through practicing any religion and Huck grew up without any of that. Religion is one of the biggest social expectations, everyone is expected to abide by it, just like any other social standard. Huck’s reaction to religion and the prospect of turning in his friend clearly argue Twain’s point that those who do not benefit from society are the ones who challenge its

From the early stages of his life, Huck was raised in a lifestyle that society deemed was the “Truth” and the “right way”, but as Huck grows he had adventures through nature and that taught him lessons that he himself accepted. Conflicted by these two polar opposite lessons, he chose to end up with nature as he leave most of society’s “way of life” behind and proceeds to exploring nature’s. From the very start, Huck never really belonged in society because Huck “..said I wished I was there. [Miss Watson] got mad then, but I didn’t mean no harm. All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn’t particular” (Twain

Throughout the years, people have been destined to follow social norms, but there are few who decide not. In the novel, “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn,” Mark Twain captures the reader's attention through the friendship of Tom and Huck, who contrast in characterization, but are necessary for a balanced society. A balanced society would looks like: each character playing a role so that the individual can be free and have equal rights for a more fulfilling life. Twain represents the balance of society through the young characters’ friendship because it is easier for children to become friends despite their differences. Tom Sawyer, a romanticist of the old southern society is represented as a conformist. Whereas Huckleberry Finn, who is portrayed as realist, is considered “uncivilized” because he does not

Jim’s character is not a liability, but he is a moral compass that Huck needs to discuss critical racial issues. At first, Huck thought “ well then, ain’t it natural for a Frenchman to talk different from us? You answer me that” (Twain 103). Jim reveals that each person, whether American or French is unequivocally equal. He teaches Huck that despite racial and cultural differences we are all human. Twain wants readers to feel uncomfortable with the label Nigger because a word like “ ‘Slave’ was a label Jim could outrun. ‘Nigger’ was not. To suggest otherwise, by treating ‘nigger’ and ‘slave’ as interchangeable, is to undermine the meaning of Jim's struggle for existence and the larger African American experience”(Smith). Jim helps Huck understand the problems of racial superiority and makes Huck understand that “ ‘they're after us’. he doesn't say they after you, but ‘us’. That's the moment where it becomes about the American dilemma”( 60 minutes). Huck realizes that both he and Jim are outcasts in their society and there is no “white” or “black” but only them together. In this critical moment, Huck understands Jim’s predicament and they are not different from one another. Jim and Huck are together on the raft, and that is all that

177). This seems to affect Huck in an important way because it started showing him that Jim is, in fact, human, and he begins to refer to Jim as a friend, not Mrs. Watson’s slave. This shows that the influence of Southern society is being removed and that he and Jim are becoming equals in his mind. As a result of Huck thinking of Jim as his friend, he protects him. When Jim is captured and his legs are bound, Tom suggests they just cut off his leg, but Huck is repulsed by that idea as he now sees Jim as human too. He decides to find another way to help Jim, and ultimately he succeeds in freeing Jim. This proves that Huck is no longer viewing Jim as property but as an equal human. That is a big contrast from the beginning of the book where he debated allowing Jim to escape slavery. In conclusion through getting rid of societies rules, seeing how much happier Jim was a free man, and having to protect someone he never thought he would, Huck was changed into someone who believes in equality; starting off as someone who debated even helping a slave out in the first place, but ending it as someone would risk what he had to give a slave another chance, an equal

Huck has the choice to make his life easier however he cannot find the words to bring Jim to his demise, “but the words wouldn’t come.” Helping Jim left Huck feeling ill and has made him believe that he is going against his religion but he knew deep down that “you can’t pray a lie.” Huck made the moral decision to sacrifice his life beyond to do something that he believed as justified. “All right then, I'll go to hell”—and tore it up.” Huck will not let his environment and society pressures influence his choices. Huck and Jim are equals and he will descend into his joinery ready to follow his moral choices to better his mind and Jim’s