Moral Morality In Huck

To begin, Twain illustrates Huck as especially immature and his moral values have yet to fully develop. He is raised by someone of equal maturity. In a conversation with his guardian, Miss Watson, Huck says, “I must help other people and do everything I could for other people and look out for them, and never think about myself… but I couldn’t see no advantage about it - except for the other people so at last I reckoned I wouldn’t worry about it any more, but just let it go” (Twain 15). Like most people of the time, Huck’s only concern was himself. The general consensus was if it did not benefit them, or suit their needs, then they would not think twice on it. Many children, including Huck, were raised this way, not knowing any better. Therefore,

Because society has raised Huck to obey what is taught, Huck is scared to go against the community although he disagrees on what is truly just and what is truly immoral. Even today, this is something humans still struggle with; standing up for what one believes in, even if it means they are alone. Twain recognized this in humanity and used Huck’s naivety to show how senseless it seems to sit back and not take a stand against an unethical problem, and also to poke fun at how egotistical and blind mankind can be. Furthermore, Huck’s gradual growth spans out for the majority of the novel. Complementary to the fictional character, it is of likewise value that humans grow, develop, and thrive. A moral turnaround for Huck comes after the funeral; he says, “It made my eyes water a little to remember her crying there all by herself in the night, and them devils laying there right under her own roof, shaming her and robbing her…” (Twain 152). In this story, the King and the Duke represent the immoral side of humanity, and surprisingly, Huck is the righteous side. Huck has progressed so much since the beginning, he is now starting to make his own conscious decisions and determine what is right and what is wrong.

He has eye-opening realizations about social ethics and humanity. Huck discovers these through multiple people, but one of the first experiences happens when Jim is sleeping. During a scene when Huck observes Jim, he realizes, “...because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (Twain 125). It is during this scene when Huck ultimately understands that Jim is a human, and is not just property. He realizes that every person, even if they are a slave, is human, and has feelings and emotions too. Although he has been brought up to believe that Jim is an inferior, it is now that Huck opens his eyes to the fact that society can be barbaric. In addition to the realization that slaves have feelings too, an article notes, “On their trip Huck confronts the ethics he has learned from society that tell him Jim is only property and not a human being” (The Adventures… 6). During the time period, there were around three million slaves in the United States. The country was built on freedom, yet people insisted slavery was an acceptable happening. They were not mature enough to comprehend what slavery honestly was, and how it contradicted everything they stood for. Huck noticed this, and wrestled with his mind on whether or not it is right, but ultimately decided that humans deserve respect,