FREE ESSAY ON HUCK FINN THEMES

HUCK FINN THEMES

Themes
The primary theme of the novel is the conflict between civilization and natural life.
Huck represents natural life through his freedom of spirit, his uncivilized ways, and his
desire to escape from civilization. He was brought up without any rules and has a strong
resistance to anything that might sivilize him. This conflict is introduced in the first
chapter through the efforts of the Widow Douglas: she tries to force Huck to wear new
clothes, give up smoking, and to learn the Bible. Throughout the novel, Twain seems to
suggest that the uncivilized way of life is better; he draws on the ideas of Jean-Jacques
Rousseau in his belief that civilization corrupts rather than improves human beings. 
The theme of honor is one that permeates the novel. It is first introduced in the second
chapter with respect to Tom Sawyer's band: Tom believes that there is a great deal of
honor associated with being robbers. This theme can be traced throughout the rest of the
book. Huck and Jim encounter robbers on the shipwrecked boat and later they are forced to
put up with the King and the Dauphin, both of whom rob everyone they meet. Tom's robber
band is also paralleled by the fact that Tom and Huck both become literal robbers at the
end of the novel. They both resolve to steal Jim out of slavery, and in the process they
act honorably. Thus honor, and acting in a way to earn honor, becomes a central theme
that Huck will have to deal with. 
The theme of food is one that occurs in many parts of the novel. It is based on the fact
that Huck grew up fighting for food with pigs, eating out of a barrel of odds and ends.
Thus, whenever there is mention of food, it is a sign that Huck has someone to take care
of him. For example, in the first chapter it is the Widow Douglas who feeds Huck. Later
she is replaced by Jim, who takes care of Huck on Jackson's Island. Food is again
mentioned when Huck lives with the Grangerfords and the Wilks. 
Another theme, and probably one of Twain's favorites, is the mockery of religion. Twain
tended to attack organized religion at every opportunity, and the sarcastic character of
Huck Finn is perfectly situated to allow him to do so. The attack on religion can already
be seen in the first chapter, when Huck indicates that hell sounds like a lot more fun
than heaven. This will continue throughout the novel, with one prominent scene occurring
when the King convinces a religious community to give him money so he can convert his
pirate friends. 
Superstition is a theme that both Huck and Jim bring up several times. Although both of
these characters tend to be quite rational, they quickly become irrational when anything
remotely superstitious happens to them. The role of superstition is two-fold: it shows
that Huck and Jim are child-like in spite of their otherwise extremely mature characters.
Second, it serves to foreshadow the plot at several key junctions. For example, spilling
salt leads to Pa returning for Huck, and later Jim gets bitten by a rattlesnake after
Huck touches a snakeskin with his hands. 
Slavery forms one of the main themes that has been frequently debated since Huck Finn was
first published. Twain himself was vehemently anti-slavery; Huckleberry Finn can in many
ways be seen as an allegory for why slavery is wrong. Twain uses Jim, a slave who is one
of the main characters, as a way of showing the human side of a slave. Everything about
Jim is presented through emotions: Jim runs away because Miss Watson was going to sell
him South and separate him from his family; Jim is trying to become free so he can buy
his family's freedom; Jim takes care of Huck and protects him on their journey downriver
in a very maternalistic manner. Thus, Twain's purpose is to make the reader feel sympathy
for Jim and outrage against the society that would harm him. However, at the same time
that Twain is attacking slavery, he also pushes the issue into the background for most of
the novel. Thus, slavery itself is never debated by Huck and Jim. Even the other slaves
in the novel are noticeably minor characters. Only at the very end does Twain create the
central conflict concerning slavery: should Huck free Jim from slavery and therefore be
condemned to go to hell? This moment is life-altering for Huck because it forces him to
reject everything that civilization has taught him; he makes the decision to free Jim
based solely on his own experiences and not based on the what he has been taught from
books. 
The theme of money is threaded through the novel and is used to highlight the disparity
between the rich and the poor. Twain purposely begins the novel by pointing out that Huck
has over six thousand dollars to his name; this sum of money dwarfs all the other sums
and makes them seem inconsequential by contrast. It is also within this context that Huck
is able to show such a relaxed attitude towards wealth. Having so much money, he does not
view money as a necessity. In addition, Huck's upbringing on the land has made him
independent enough that he views money as a luxury. Huck's views on money are meant to
contrast with Jim's views. Jim sees money as equivalent to freedom; with money he can buy
his freedom and that of his family. Money also would allow him to live like a white
person, thus raising his status in the society. Thus, throughout the novel Jim constantly
tries to get money whereas Huck takes an apathetic attitude towards the subject. 
Bibliography
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