The Maturation of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins with Huck introducing himself. He is wild and carefree, playing jokes on people and believing them all to be hilarious. When his adventures grow to involve new moral questions never before raised, there is a drastic change in his opinions, thoughts, and his views of "right and wrong", and Huck's "rejection of the values of society has tried to instill in him" (Wright 154). By the time the book is over, it is apparent that he has matured greatly since the beginning of the novel. Certainly the people and events Huck comes in contact with through his adventures causes this change, which include: Jim, the Duke and the King with the Wilks' family, Pap and the Widow Douglas, and the time spent with the Grangerfords.The person who affected Huck the most was Jim. Jim was Huck's companion throughout the entire journey. At first Huck considers Jim only as a "nigger" because of the way he was brought up, yet Jim is much more than a stereotypical slave and Huck develops a deep feeling of loyalty toward him. During their adventure together, Huck always feels a duty to reveal Jim's identity as a runaway slave, but is held back when he remembers Jim's kindness and integrity "Jim would always call
The Duke and King also changes Huck's way of thinking. They made him realize that the life of a thief and con man was not a way to live because it hurt other people. While they were trying to scam the Wilks' money, Huck chose to help the innocent Wilks girls, instead of the King and Duke. Huck's morals kicked in and he learned to think of others instead of himself. The Duke and King were very unappreciative for Huck's help while the Wilks' girls were very grateful "...I shan't ever forget you, and I'll think of you a many and a many time, and I'll pray for you too!" (Twain 188). The lying charlatans and the kindhearted girls taught Huck that you can not cheat your way through life. Huck did not like the "sivilized" ways of the widow, but throughout the book it is clear that he learn moral values while living with the widow "...but the widow said it warn't anything but a soft name for stealing, an no decent body would do it." (Twain 71). In conclusion, all the people and events on Huck's journey change his life and way of thinking. At the beginning of the book, Huck is a rowdy, young, southern boy who has very little respect for slaves and has an "immortality of youth" way of thinking. By the end of the book, Huck respects slaves because of his friendship with Jim, he realizes how fragile life is because of his brushes with death, gains many moral values, and it is apparent that he has matured gr
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Approximate Word count = 954
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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