Huck Finn and Kohlberg's Theory

A detailed Summary of Huck Finn and Kohlberg's Theory

Several decades ago, Lawrence Kohlberg proposed that people progressed in their moral reasoning through a series of stages. These six steps brought a person from an egocentric mentality to one that is concerned with the well being of others. He further divided the six stages into three levels: premoral, conventional, and principled morality. Kohlberg believed that the stages were sequential, or one couldn't advance from stage 1 to 3 without first experiencing stage 2. He also believed that social interaction promoted the individual's moral growth. The theme of moral growth plays a prominent role in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Kohlberg's Theory helps the reader understand the complexity of Huck's character. The novel chronicles Huck's dramatic moral experiences and changes throughout the novel as his conscience matures.

However, Huck doesn't always progress in Kohlberg's prescribed order. Huck's moral development is erratic; he jumps from one stage to another and back again. Perhaps this is because he is only child, and his conscience still has a lot of development ahead. As a youth, Huck is easily influenced by society. Therefore he is subjected to frequently shifting opinions of moral stance. Also, Huck Finn's

morality evolves as he interacts with different people along his journey. For example, he is touched by the kindness shown to him by the Grangerfords and Aunt Sally. This will eventually affect his relationship with Jim and Huck's decision of whether or not to free Jim.

Once reaching the mindframe of a person in the postconventional level, the life is shaped by his/her ethical principles. They have an outward mentality, or in other words, the individual isn't preoccupied with his/her own worries or rewards. Instead, one is concerned with the wellbeing of others. In Stage Five, the subject respects the rights of the individual as defined by society. That person isn't forced to take a genuine interest in the welfare of others, but does it by free choice. By this point, the subject realizes that he/she doesn't have to conform to society's image of what is right and wrong, and it becomes apparent that his/her actions are based on that one's own judgements. At one point in the novel, Huck actually rejects conventional morality and instead decides to follow what his conscience dictates. So, instead of turning in Jim (stolen property), Huck decides that this is not necessary. One who has reached Stage Six demonstrates and respects universal moral principles. Someone at this stage recognizes the equality and worth of all human beings and acts upon that. Huck briefly reaches this point at the end of the novel, but he is human so it is only a matter of time before he falls back down the ladder again to one of the lesser stages. Huck is again tryin

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Approximate Word count = 1056
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English