Moral Development Of Huckleberry Finn

In the classic American novel by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a boy sets out on a journey with a runaway slave and is exposed to a variety of walks of life. The sad reality of Huck is that his father, the only non-female, adult influence in his life, is a deadbeat and is no positive role model on Huck’s life. On Huck’s journey, he encounters many different powerful men, leaving it up to Huck to decide what are good and bad personality traits to have. In turn, Huck grows up and gains his own moral code. The conscience that Huck adopts is mainly due to the interaction with the Duke and the Dauphin, the Phelps, Tom Sawyer, and Jim. Huck’s adventures down the river with Jim gives Huck the moral compass needed, by exposing him

This family has the best values and most normal environment for Huck and Tom. Being Tom’s relatives, it is the most family Huck has been around in his life. They are caring, functional, and “sivilized,” and some would say these are the morals that parents aspire to embody. The most “family” example would be when Huck experiences this, “She grabbed me and hugged me tight; and then gripped me by both hands and shook and shook; and the tears come in her eyes, and run down over; and she couldn 't seem to hug and shake enough, and kept saying, "You don 't look as much like your mother as I reckoned you would; but law sakes, I don 't care for that, I 'm so glad to see you!” (234). This embrace is the greatest love that Huck has ever received in his life, so it isn’t a surprise that it is foreign to Huck and he rejects it. Sadly this family is Huck’s least favorite because of how civil they are. This family, while Huck may not know it, teaches Huck what it is like to be around sane people. The people in the Phelps family care for Huck and wish to adopt him, but Huck wishes to have more adventures and not be forced into a life of pure

Huck has been influenced by many important figures during his journey. All of these people present in his life make different impressions in Huck’s newfound moral code. The Grangerfords showed Huck how honorable a family can be. The Duke and the Dauphin exposed Huck to an evil inside of humans that Huck didn’t think was possible. The Phelps were the closest thing to family that Huck found, and though it was Huck’s least favorite time, the family showed Huck how a real family can love and function. Tom Sawyer was the big brother that Huck never had. He was the worst role model and showed Huck how people can let you down, and the way you see the people you look up to as a child can change drastically when you learn for yourself what being a virtuous person means. Huck’s journey matured him and gave him his own moral code. In ones life, your moral code will be the most important. It will make sure that your instinct decisions are ethical rather than corrupt. By Huck’s adventures, he saw the downfalls of mankind and some of the good people in the world. This exposure gave Huck a great moral compass that he created on his