Huckleberry Finn vs. Society
... at once. Society appeared as a restraint from freedom for Huck. Isolated and lonely in civilization, Huck deeply wanted to have freedom. When Pap, Huck’s father, took Huck away, Huck bravely and astutely planned his own murder and successfully escaped. Finding civilization intolerable, Huck fled to the safety of Jackson’s Island. To meet Jim served as the most fortunate time for Huck. Jim, Miss Watson’s slave, was running away to achieve freedom. Jim became Huck’s faithful companion as they both sailed down the river. Floating on the raft with Jim became a symbol of freedom and bliss for Huck. “We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. You feel mighty free and comfortable on a raft.” Even though Huck tried to stay away from society, he simply could not stray from it for too long. To go into civilization, Huck used various disguises to hide his identity, such as non-existing and real characters named Sarah Mary Williams, George Elexander Peters, George Jaxon, and Tom Sawyer. Constantly changing from one character to another each time he met a new stranger, Huck went into society to hear information of the latest news or events occurring in the community. During the earlier years of his life, Huck had not received good treatment form his father, who had hit and abused him. Huck saw the cruelty of individuals in societies and communities. Later, due to a foolish and unreasonable family feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons, Buck died. Buck Grangerford, a boy about the same age as Huck and had treated Huck very kindly, had died when a small battle between the two families had taken place. This absurd and mindless battle had stolen away the long, meaningful life Buck could have lived. Evil and malicious, the Duke of Bridgewater and the Dauphin, who were complete frauds, put on a show called “The Royal Nonesuch.” This show appealed to the bad qualities of men and cheated the men of their money. Angrily, the male members of the town brought rotten eggs and vegetables to throw at the Duke and Dauphin on the last night of the three-day show, but unfortunately, the Duke and Dauphin escaped. The acts of the men in this town also show the cruelty of individuals. When the Duke and Dauphin falsely revealed themselves as Harvey and William Wilks, the brothers of the late Peter Wilks, they pretended to mourn over the unfortunate death of their “brother.” Ashamed of the human race at times, Huck knew that the Duke and Dauphin only wante...