Huckleberry Finn - Conflict Between Society And The...

The theme of Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn is that the ideas of society can greatly influence the individual, and sometimes the individual must break off from the accepted values of society to determine the ultimate truth for himself. In Huckleberry Finns world, society has corrupted justice and morality to fit the needs of the people of the nation at that time. Basically, Americans were justifying slavery, through whatever social or religious ways that they deemed necessary during this time. The conflict between society and Huckleberry Finn results from Hucks non-conformist attitude. This attitude is a result of his separation from society at an early age. With a highly abusive drunkard for a father, Huckleberry Finn is forced from†¦show more content†¦Huckleberry Finn recognizes Jim as a human being, but is fighting the beliefs bestowed upon him by a society that believes slaves should not be free. However, it is important to realize that although Huckleberry Finns decisions create the conflict between society and himself (and that this conflict forms the theme of the novel), Huck is oblivious to the justice, the righteousness, and even the heroism of his own actions, they are simply in accordance with his own conscience. The climax comes in chapter thirty-one of the novel, when Huckleberry Finns moral development reaches its peak. Up until this point in the novel, Huckleberry Finn has been experiencing internal conflict concerning his treatment of Jim. Society has brought him up to believe that Jim is nothing but property, rightfully belonging to Miss Watson, and so Huck would be wrong in helping Jim flee. At the same time, however, his experiences with Jim, and his own personal instincts about the situation tell him that he is doing the right thing. Huck feels terrible because he cannot please both voices of his conscience. Huckleberry Finn feels as though society is right, and he is wrong. At first, he begins to write a letter to Miss Watson to return Jim, but then ends up destroying the letter and deciding to help free Jim. Specifically, in the novel, Huck says, quot;All right, then Ill go to hell,quot; right as he tore up the letter. This indicates thatShow MoreRelated Charles Dickens and Mark Twains lessons Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesCharles Dickens and The adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can show that although both writers lived in different societies they shared the same point of views about life and used their writing to educate their readers and change their societies positively. Both books satirise individuals who think that they are superior to others, by doing this the writers want to show their readers that this is a wrong thing to do. In The adventures of Huckleberry Finn the general southern public is satirisedRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mr. Mark Twain929 Words   |  4 Pagesfew pages, or even sentences, the evidence of local color prevails in the novel of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by â€Å"Mr. Mark Twain† (106). Local color is defined by Donna Campbell of Washington State University as â€Å"fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region.† The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest examples and reveals all the characteristics of local color writing. The firstRead MoreMark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1575 Words   |  6 Pages Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Controversy Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a highly recognizable figure in American literature. 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Although Tom and Hucklberry Finn have many things in common and are very good friends, they also live a life of two totally different lifestyles. Tom, who is a dreamer, lives a life out of romantic novels, and can be amusing and exasperating at the same time. He lives a life out of drama and brings out his imagination in a realistic way. He is amusing when showing his understanding