Free Essay - Survival in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
In literature, authors have created characters that have traits
that contributes to their survival in society. The qualities of shredders,
adaptability, and basic human kindness enables the character Huckleberry
Finn, in Mark Twain's novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn to survive
in his environment. The purpose of this paper is to depict the importance
of these traits or qualities to his survival.
Huckleberry Finn is able to confront complex situations because he
is shrewd. Nothing is more natural or more necessary than his ability to
lie. In certain situations I will discuss how he must lie because the
circumstances forced him to deception and lies and evasions are the only
weapons he has to protect himself from those who are physically stronger
than he. The creativity, common sense, and understanding of people of
different classes give him the edge he needs to survive in a rather harsh
society.
Living with Ms. Watson and Widow Douglas, Huck has adjusted his
life to that of a civilized society. Huck illustrates his shrewd thinking
when he see signs that indicates his father is back. Being afraid of his
father, he gives all of his money to Judge Thatcher to avoid being
persecuted by his father. Protecting himself was his number one priority;
he knew that if his father got the money he would get drunk and in return
would abuse him. His father drunkenness become a threat to his life later
on in the story and by stopping him from getting the money, he stopped his
father from being an abuser at that point and time.
Pap, Huck's father returns to town to get custody of his son
because he here of Huck's fortune, finally resorting to the kidnapping.
Huck is locked in the cabin when Pap is not around; once he was locked up
for three days. At this point and time Huck was being neglected and abuse;
his father had no idea what his abusive behavior was doing to Huck until he
escapes. Pap became so abusive(not realizing it because of he is always
drunk), that he almost kills his son in the cabin, thinking he was the
angel of death. This incident forces Huck to realize that his father is an
immediate threat to his life and he must escape. His plan to escape is one
of common sense combined with shrewdness and imagination. He creates a
bloody scene with the blood of a pig he shot, smashed the door, left some
his hair on a bloody ax, and left a trail of food, creating the impression
that he was killed by robbers; his plan is a success.
Huck must enter the world after his death in disguises, born as a
new person repeatedly to conceal his real identity. Dressing as a girl to
go ashore to gather information is just one of the identities he must
assume through out his whole journey. This example shows how ingenious and
innovative Huck is in creating a creditable story that will camouflage his
real identity. In the act of meeting a lady who had recently settled in
town, he dresses as a girl, makes up a name and a convincible story, "
trusting providence to put the right words in my mouth when the time come."
He finds out that her husband was going to Jackson Island to see if he
could find Jim. He is fortunate enough to get this information or else they
would have been caught by suprise.
The capsizing of Jim and Huck's raft, creates a situation in which
Huck must go ashore. He finds himself in the midst of barking dogs in front
of the Grangerford's home. Trusting providence again, he introduces himself
as George Jackson and that he fell overboard from a passing steamboat. He
is welcomed into the Grangerford's home because his identity and story is
convincible. After a day there, Huck forgets his new name. Understanding
Buck, the youngest of the family, desire to show off, Huck gets him to
spell his name revealing his new identity. Getting Buck to spell his name
because he understands his personality, is just one of Huck's qualities
that help him to survive on the frontier.
The adaptability of Huck Finn is marked throughout the novel. He is
extremely adaptable and can tolerate living with the widow, his father, and
in the Grangerford's home. Toleration of the best and worst situations
seems to be one of his best qualities.
Huck did not like the burden civilized society placed upon his
shoulders. Even though he did no like the restrictions of society, he
learned to accept the ways of the widow; he wore the fancy clothes, ate
dinner at a table, did not curse or smoke, and decided to get an education.
He benefited from living with the widow and he saw that it was somehow
necessary to follow her rules; abiding by her rules were hard at first, but
he reached a point where he "was getting sort of used to the widow's ways,
too, and they weren't so raspy on me."
A father is suppose to wish the best for his children, but Pap
seems to dislike the idea that his on is getting an education, becoming
better that who he was. Huck's father hears of his fortune and returns to
get custody, ultimately kidnapping Huck and putting him a locked cabin
across the river. Pap would beat his son quite frequently. In the woods
Huck felt free of the civilized world because he would smoke, curse, and
eat at any time of the day because Pap had no objections, yet his freedom
was altered by the presence of his father. Huck was abused, but he made the
best of a terrible situation. He got to a point where he "didn't see how
I'd ever got to like it so well at the widow's." He got used to the woods
and had no desire to return to civilization.
At the home of the Grangerford's, Huck quickly adapts to a relaxing
and luxurious environment. He is impressed by their furniture and most of
all, the great food they had to offer him. Huck realizes that staying here,
he will benefit from this generous family.
Huck is also a person whom responds sympathetically human beings,
even to the least of society. He protected Jim, a slave, the duke and king,
cunning thieves, the robbers on the Walter Scott, and to the Wilks girls.
Basic human kindness enables Huck to become a better person, it especially
helps the relationship between Jim and Huck.
In some parts of the novel, Huck saves Jim, a runaway slave from
being caught. He save him on Jackson Island and saved him from bounty
hunters on the Mississippi. This quality shows Jim that Huck cares deeply
about him as a friend. In return Jim treats Huck as a friend or even as his
own child although he is a slave. Jim would take Huck's watch at nights on
the raft and do other things for Huck that made his life on the raft not so
hectic at it would have been if Jim was not around. It is fair to say that
Huck being kind to Jim, makes his living or survival on the raft a peaceful
one.
In conclusion the qualities of shrewdness and ingenuity, basic
human kindness, and adaptability contributes equally to the survival of
Huckleberry Finn in his environment. Adaptability empowers Huck to survive
from the best, living with the Grangerfords, and the worst, living with Pap
in the woods. Huck becomes a person of moral values and have good
relationship with Jim, realizing he is also a human being, not just another
slave because he is sympathetic to the least of society and relinquished
the values of a severe society. Shrewdness and ingenuity helped Huck to
neutralize situations that could not have been resolved by just anyone.
Huck's sympathy for other human beings, adaptability, and his shrewdness
and ingenuity are among the qualities that makes Huck one of the great
character in American fiction.
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