Social Morality In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain

2013 Words5 Pages

In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the nature of individual and societal morality is a pivotal theme to Huck’s storyline and the lens through which he views Southern culture. Through the storyline, Huck is introduced to multiple renditions of moral codes from pap, the widow, Tom, and Jim. Additionally, Huck is also given an ideal seat to view the motives of the multiple mobs and how they interact as a part of society. In Huck’s narrative, an individual 's morality is directly linked to personal benefit being valued above all else and this shapes how and where Huck applies his moral code. Despite this, Huck is able to cultivate his sense of moral responsibility. Moreover, societal morality is even less developed than personal and …show more content…

This sentiment becomes explicitly apparent in the context of mobs, specifically, Colonel Sherburn gives a tirade to the mob planning to hang him and he states that “‘Why don’t your juries hang murderers? Because they’re afraid the man 's friends will shoot them in the back, in the dark -- and it 's just what they would do. ‘So they always acquit; and then a man goes into the night, with a hundred masked cowards at his back, and lynches the rascal’” (134). According to this speech, Sherburn asserts that the entire mob prioritizes self-preservation over enforcing any form of justice. This is true in both the crowds prosecution of Colonel Sherburn after his broad daylight murder of Boggs and the Colonel’s statements on how the crowd allows for potential criminals and murderers to escape trial. Ironically, the release of dangerous individuals into society is more of a destructive behavior. This passage reveals that crowds will allow the endangerment a single person to ensure the preservation of the majority, or alternate group, in this case, the Jury sacrifices the prosecution by acquitting the alleged killer. Thus, the fashion in which mobs think actually hinders the enforcement of moral …show more content…

The outcome when contrasting personal and societal interpretations of morality is that Huck begins his narrative with a self-centric strategy and neglects the use of his moral compass. Over time however, Huck is able to mature his moral standards while mobs of people never progress morally beyond the threshold that is established in the status quo. While Hucks transformation allows him to make his own sound judgements and this leads him to indict slavery. Furthermore, social morality is shown to be unsophisticated and potentially detrimental. Specifically, this brand of morality seeks self-preservation and in essence, mobs seem to devolve their moral standards and consequently, they allow the institution of slavery to continue. In sum, Huck grows more mature in terms of his moral responsibility and the overarching message that his story provides is that individual moral lessons are comparatively better to sharing the possibly misguided sentiment of the

Open Document