Ethical Characters In Huck Finn's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

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In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learned from the Widow Douglas, the woman who fostered him; Tom, his best friend; Jim, a slave he helped escape; and his father, a brutal drunkard. What Huck learned shaped his moral and ethical character. Huckleberry Finn seemed to live without a care in the world. He had no mother and an abusive drunk for a father who only showed up when he saw fit. The only person who cared about Huck and wanted him to succeed in life was the Widow Douglas. Her efforts to mold Huck into a respectable young man always seemed futile. Huck would much rather go create mischief with his friend Tom then to be civilized by the Widow Douglas. Huckleberry Finn was a mulatto according to Finn, which means he had one white parent and one black parent. His father, Finn, had a deep hatred for blacks, but he was attracted to black women. While Finn was on the ship the Santo Domingo, he stopped a black man from killing the captain and as a reward he was given the black man’s daughter, Mary. She became Finn’s mistress. Over time they became true partners, and after a few years together they conceived Huck. Since Huck was a mulatto, many people questioned Finn, especially his father, the Judge. All Finn wanted to do in life was to please his father, but it only seemed like he could make his father despise him more. Finn showed up less in Huck’s life, and after the death of his mother Huck had no parental figure. Even though Huck was faced with adversity, he did not let his past hinder his future. He was unlike his father who used his past as an excuse for his behavior. Since Huck had no mother and his father was pretty much out of the picture, Huck spent most of his life with the Widow Douglas. The Wi... ... middle of paper ... ...me. Tom’s aunt and uncle thanked Jim for helping Tom and gave him anything he wanted. Tom’s Aunt Sally offered to adopt Huck, but Huck” [thought] it was time for him to head for the territory ahead of the rest because he knew she wanted to … sivilize [him], and he couldn’t stand it. He had been there before” (Twain 283). Huck knew it was his time to go and explore the world for himself. He was tired of everybody’s “rules and guidelines, and he was ready to make his own rules. He wanted to travel to the western territory to start fresh where the people did not yet establish a set of rules. He was done with society completely and wanted in no way to return to its harsh and cruel judgment. Huck grew as a person and became his own man. He overcame all his adversity and showed his father and society that he didn’t need them in his life to be great (Sparknotes).

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