Practically every "good" character in Huckleberry Finn lies. Huck himself lies on almost countless occasions. Miss Watson lies on at least one occasion. Jim tells several lies during the tale. Tom Sawyer is practically unable to speak the truth. Yet none of these characters are seen as morally corrupt.

Even the lovable innocent Jim will lie for personal gain. His "innocence is lost" when he successfully scams unwitting Huck (Miner 21). He manages to trick Huck out of a quarter for the use of his "magic hairball" that tells the future (Clemens 19). This lie was only designed to get Huck's money, not to hurt anyone. This and the fact that Jim is practically ignorant account for his being a "hero" in the story even though he lies to his friend and steals himself out of slavery.

While all characters and for the most part all people lie, it is the motivation behind the lie and the moral fiber of the person telling it that causes harm or good. The fact that a character in the story lies does not make them a bad or evil character, simply more realistic. The focus of Clemens through the social graces of his characters and their dialects was to create a true to life story. By adding the complexity of honesty to good or evil ends greatly contributes to this theme of realism.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1234
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)