FREE ESSAY ON HUCK FINN

HUCK FINN

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain shows how Huck evolves in
every adventure and how he is growing in every aspect of his life. It is easy to forget
that Huck is only a twelve-year old boy, when we see him out smart grown men. The most
significant part of the whole novel is the decision that Huck has to make about Jim. Huck
would never turn his back on Jim now because he is his only family. Huck also grows up in
the sense that he loses his innocence: He begins to understand the hypocrisy of society.
He sees the Grangerfords killed by the Shephardsons, and he sees the Duke and the King
manipulate the townspeople out of their money. He starts realizing he can converse with
the opposite sex and that he can tell the truth. Even though Huck is un-educated, he
learns and understands many things about people and himself. Huck goes through many
trails that initiate him into the adult world. Huck takes on the role of a "rebel" and
goes against Paps authority.
Huck starts getting tired of Paps authority 
Pap has not been a "father figure" and Huck does not really know what it is like to feel
loved. Huck acts mature in the sense that he can take care of himself, but deep-down
inside he is scared and yearning to be loved and wanted. We know this because when he
runs away from his father he ends up going to the Widow Douglas. She tries to turn Huck
into a civilized boy, but Huck is not about to change just to please the Widow. Huck then
decides to give his money to Judge Thatcher, so that Pap cannot take his money. In the
novel, it shows repeatedly how Pap tries to take his money and this proves that he is
selfish and does not care about Huck because if he did he would not beat him and takes
his money. Huck shows his maturity by running away from Pap and not letting him abuse him
any longer. Huck then escapes Pap and finds Jim.
Huck has to make a major decision that could affect the type of person he will be
Southern society has taught Huck that slaves are savage creatures with no feelings, only
pieces of property to be bought and sold. At the beginning of the novel, Huck buys into
this philosophy without a question. He cannot believe he is helping a black man escape to
freedom. Huck soon becomes good friends with Jim and is amazed at how much he cares for
him. Jim's feelings get hurt when Huck plays a trick on him.
He never believed that black people could have feelings. This part of the novel is where
Huck starts growing up. Huck finds Jim and they get on the raft this marks the completion
of the initiation process. Huck starts to show his first signs of maturity when he starts
thinking independently and he has compassion for Jim. He soon discovers how ignorant and
naive he is to not question society. Huck realizes that Jim is wiser and worth more than
many of the white people. When Huck is forced to make an important decision about turning
Jim in or standing by him, Huck decides not to betray his friend, even if it means going
against everything, society has taught him. By the end of the novel, Huck knows for sure
that he cannot fit into a civilized way of life and turns his back on society. On their
adventure, Huck and Jim meet up with the Duke and the King.
The Duke and the King are con artist that try to fool Huck and Jim
Later in the novel, Huck meets the Duke and the King. He knows that they are not really a
Duke and a King But if "I never learnt nothing else from pap, I learnt that the best way
to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way"(125). At first,
it seems puzzling that he would let these two men take over the wigwam. Later, his quote
reveals that he does not want to face any consequences and jeopardize Jim's freedom. This
also shows maturity because he is willing to put up with con artists without losing his
mind. 
Huck shows another sign of maturity by not shying away from girls
He starts to notice the opposite sex and meets Mary Jane. He enjoys conversations with
Mary Jane because they can understand each other. He does not feel scared or nervous
around Mary Jane and finds out he can be himself around her. Huck finds himself opening
up to Mary Jane and he is able to tell her the truth in a letter that he gives her. He
cannot tell her in person because he is too ashamed that he was an accomplice to the
so-called Duke and the King. He does not want her to think he tried to swindle the
townspeople out of their money. As Huck meets different types of people, he starts to
learn how they think.
Along his adventure, Huck starts getting smarter and more cunning
He begins to make decisions for himself. He starts living his life the way he wants to
live it and not the way society expects him to live it. He also develops a way to see how
people think. This is an intuitional plan that Huck develops every time he gets himself
into trouble. An example of this is when he out-smarted two slave hunters who were
combing the area for runaway slaves. They saw a raft on the river and they asked Huck, if
anyone was on the raft. Huck implied that it was his father and the two slave hunters
told Huck that he probably has small pox. The two men are so naive and scared of getting
the disease that they give Huck money and told him to get help for his father farther
down the river. Huck's intuitional plan became reality again because all he did was
imply, but the two slave hunters told Huck that his father had small pox. One of the
remarkable things about Huck is that he evolves in every adventure and that he pretends
to be less intelligent and capable than he really is.
Huck evolves from childhood to adulthood