Introduction
Before we embark on the morality, issues and other conflicts about Huckleberry Finn and his adventure down and around the Mississippi River along with other characters, it would be vitally important to know something basic about this character first like who he is and what type of personality he has. Huckleberry Finn is a young boy who is hypothetically aged somewhere around 15 or 17 although some sources would say that he was just a 12-13 year old.
Huck was born from a poor family and he grew up in a poor environment and because of that, he developed a complex personality. Some authors describe his personality as idle, vulgar, bad and lawless which is quite evident in most of his stories. He was basically admired and idolized by almost all of the children in their place but the he was hated and dreaded by those children’s mothers because they were probably thinking Huck could influence their child in a bad way.
Above all, I can see Huck as a man with a young age but with a mature mind as he was able to do the right things despite a lot of people’s opposition and restriction, although he was able to violate some norms of society—a topic that is under the umbrella of morality. This paper aims to identify the different morality issues in Huck’s adventure and to discuss the significance of different characters like Jim in Huck’s life.
Issues of morality and ethics
The first issue of morality that had been evident almost throughout the entire story of Huck is their act of thieving or stealing things from vendors and even from other people. Tom, one of Huck’s best friends even stated that one could get a great deal of honor from stealing things (GS, 2011).
Morally, we all know that stealing things that are supposed to be bought with money or work is not right. In the novel, Huck and his friend Tom were both portrayed as honorable thieves but my question is can one really obtain honor from stealing? Even though Huck and his other friends’ reason for stealing is to survive the harsh environment where they live together with poverty and hunger, that cannot change the fact that thieving is a wrong thing.
Another one of the most admired issue or fact about the book was its being anti-slavery. If an individual who is an avid fan of Huck’s adventure is to be asked whether slavery is good or not for the society, he would surely state an anti-slavery answer because throughout the novel, ideas showing how and why slavery could be harmful to the society were presented. This is perhaps the biggest issue of morality that was clearly evident throughout Huck’s adventures.
Around the Mississippi River, another clear unethical issue that Huck had committed when he tries to escape the house, where Douglas and his sister, Ms. Watson lives, every night to join in Tom Sawyer’s gang whenever they have thieving and other illegal businesses to do. It was a sort of ethically wrong thing to do because all that Mr. Douglas and Ms. Watson wanted was for Huck to be civilized even though their approach in reaching that very goal is quite wrong.
Huck’s Character and how he helped Jim Break Away from Slavery
Since the beginning of the Huck’s first adventure, it was quite clear that he grew up as a mature individual although in a slightly crooked way, thanks to the type of friends and environment that surrounded him as he grew. Throughout the end of every series, Huck’s maturity was kind of evident still although he still has to steal to survive, which as stated by GC (2011) is ethically and morally wrong.
One of the main characters, Jim was a slave and because of the maltreatment that he experiences from his owner, Ms. Watson, he escaped from the chains that tied him for a long time and tried to look for some work so that he could buy his freedom and enjoy life. Also, one of the reasons that prompted Jim’s escape is because of his family. Ms. Watson was about to sell him to another owner and if that happens, he will be separated from his family.
Along Jim’s journey, he was almost always collaborating with Huck doing whatever it takes to survive. One of Jim’s personal duties was to serve and protect Huck (Anonymous, 2011). They underwent different dangerous yet adventurous experiences. There are even some that almost killed them both. However, in the end of one of their adventures, a scenario that made Huck picks a choice that is: To free Jim but under big conditions or to just let it be.
If he would free Jim, it would be a clear evidence that he was trying to steal Ms. Watson’s property but, the ironic part comes when he discovers to himself that he cannot surrender Jim, his friend, to Ms. Watson as well. This was actually the most surprising part about Huck. He disregarded the social norms and he chose to free Jim despite the consequences.
References
GS. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Themes. LCC, 2011. Print.
Anonymous. How it all goes down. Shmoop University, 2011. Print.
