Huck's Growth as a Person

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Mark Twain is the author of the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. At the beginning of the novel, Huck Finn is an immature thirteen year old boy. He goes south on a river with a runaway slave trying to leave his previous life behind. During the course of the novel, Huck meets several people who teach him very significant life lessons. These lessons help build the foundation of the person Huck will become. He learns what true friendship is, how to be dependable, and how to be honest. In the beginning, Huck does not really understand what a true friend is, and then he goes on a voyage with Jim, a runaway slave. For a while, Huck has thoughts regarding whether or not he should turn Jim in to the government and have him sent back to Miss Watson. However, he constantly remembers how kind Jim has been to him. When Huck says that he will not tell anyone that he has found Jim, makes Jim want to look after and help Huck. In the quote, "I went to sleep, and Jim didn't call me when it was my turn to steer. He did that pretty often." (Twain 239) Huck talks about how Jim would let him continue to sleep and take his turns during the night. However, this is not the only thing Jim does for Huck. When a house floats by them and they see clothes inside, along with a lifeless body, Jim goes inside to check the inside of the house. When Jim looks at the body, he realizes that it was Huck's father, and quickly covers the body. Jim covers the body because he wants to protect Huck and does not want him to see his father like that. Through Jim's actions, Huck learns one of the most precious life lessons: true friendship. Huck finds out that true friends will do almost anything to protect each other. The connection between Huck ... ... middle of paper ... ...ry Jane this, Huck is risking everything, and he is willing to take that risk because he wants to protect Mary Jane and her sisters. In the end, Huck no longer plays tricks on people unless it is to protect someone else. This is a major indication of how much Huck has grown since the opening of the novel. There are many factors that come into place that guide Huck to becoming a mature young man. He learns many priceless lessons from those whom he encounters along the river. He takes these lessons and uses them as a groundwork that will create who his is at the end of the novel. Huck learns what true friendship is, how to be dependable, and how to be honest. These three lessons are some of the most important lessons in life. Although, these are only just three of the lessons that Huck learns, they are some of the most significant lessons he can learn in life.

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