In the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck does not have a childhood because he is forced to grow up without any moral guidance and forced to fend for himself in the world. In this essay I will cover Huck's growth from the start of the book, Huck's life on the river, and the ending of the book when he meets back with Tom Sawyer and realizes that he has outgrown his childhood buddy and is ready to move on.

At the beginning of the book Huckleberry Finn, Huck lives with Ms. Watson and the Widow Douglas in a house up north off of the mighty Mississippi river; "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me" (Mark Twain 11). With this approach to raising Huck, the Widow Douglas and Ms. Watson enroll Huck in school, where he learns to read and write, and starts wearing appropriate clothing. Even though it seems that Huck lives a dull life with Ms. Watson and the Widow Douglas he is able to have adventures and a little excitement with his good friend Tom Sawyer. "Now, we'll start this band of robbers and call it Tom Sawyer's Gang" (17). Just to name an adventure where Huck, Tom, and some other friends pretend to be robbers and go and capture Arabs and

Towards the end of the book one gets the feeling that Huck is a very self-motivated person and really able to take care of himself without any real adult supervision. Now, instead of spending countless hours planning and doing adventures Huck wants to get them done quick and move on the next adventure or challenge. This is evident when Huck reunites with Tom Sawyer to try to free Jim from prison. Tom makes this elaborate plan that involves digging under the ground to reach the shed where Jim is contained. "Huck Finn, did you ever hear of a prisoner having picks and shovels...What do we want to use...A couple of case knives"(237). This is the plan of Tom Sawyer; Huck believes this plan too complex and says, "Confound it, it's foolish, Tom." I believe that this shows a great step in Huck's growth because at this point Huck is at stage where he really does not pretend and is not too huge on imagination especially in this circumstance. His growth is really evident at the end of the book.

The book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain shows that Huck did not have a childhood. Whether Huck is living with Ms. Watson, Widow Douglas, Pap, or by himself he is forced to grow up quick. In the end Huck becomes a model citizen and altogether has become "sivilized" (11)

Spainards. Towards the end of the first couple of chapters, one gets the sense that Huck needs to grow fast after Pap shows up. Pap, Huck's drunken and broke father, reunites with Huck in chapter five and comes to town demanding money, "That's why I come. You git me that money tomorrow-I want it" (29). A comment made by Pap before Huck tel

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Approximate Word count = 1087
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)