Individuals struggling with their communities seem to be a persistent theme in American literature. Explain and discuss this notion in regaued to Hukleberry Finn
...n artists but his common sense tells him to play along, he ‘learnt the best way to get along with these people is to let them have their way.’(2) The constant changing of roles and indeed places in which they find themselves may represent Huck’s struggle to fit genuinely into one particular society, the physical unsettlement can be said to form the underlying basis of Huck’s mental struggle with finding his own niche in a society. Mentally, we can trace Huck’ journey to self realisation and freedom, and from his journey from boyhood into manhood. As a narrator in the novel we are able to gain access directly to Huck’s own personal thoughts and feelings and therefore also his questionings and deliberating on the right path that he should choose. There are several instances in the novel where the reader may follow internal debates and the questioning of right and wrong in Huck’s mind. Moreover the battle between what he should do as a so called “civilised” person as opposed to using his own moral judgement and use of natural learning. In the first instance we see Huck considering the use of religion, a reoccurring theme in the novel. He logically comes to the Louise Marks conclusion that he would rather be in hell than listen to Miss Watson’s lessons. ‘She told me it was a bad place, and I told her I wished I was there’3. Huck then also asks if Tom Sawyer would go to heaven, Miss Watson says he wouldn’t and Huck is glad as he wanted them to be together. This outlines the fact that he will not conform to the civilised society’s views of the importance of religion. Later, Huck also realises that religion also bring with hypocritical values. Huck cannot see any good in religion. Being of a practical nature, and also a naive child, he prays for a fishing rod. When this does not materialise he gives up in believing. We see this practical nature a lot in Hucks character, another example of this is when he tells the Widow that he ‘don’t take no stock in dead people’4. This gives the impression that Huck only deals with the ‘actual’. This is also underlined when Tom indulges in childish fantasies, and Huck just cannot bring himself to imagine the same things as Tom does. Twain also raises the question here of civilisation and book learning being hypocritical. The boys create a society, which again Huck struggles with, that excludes any moral code and principle. They misplace the value system of honour by associating it with robbery and crime in their fantasies, and yet Tom is supposed to represent the civilised version of Huck. It is this which isolates Huck from his surrounding society of his peer group. It is also clear that Huck is so much more advanced than Tom, this difference leads to the other children ignoring Huck. This then contributed to Huck’s own idea of civilisation and what education brings. Again the conflict between the natural world and book world is bought to light. Another example which also underlines this is when Huck and Tom are trying to break Jim out of jail. Tom is still stuck in childhood and the fantasies which go along with it; however, Huck has to deal with real moral issues and questions whether it is morally just to free Jim as by law he is still a slave which belongs to Miss Watson. As Huck faces this moral dilemma, the readers already know that Tom knows Jim is a freeman and so it is all a game to him without any serious repercussions. The notion of slavery is explored constantly throughout the novel. Huck only really sees Jim as a human being when he is telling his story about his deaf child, and that he regrets his actions towards her. Huck comments that Jim loves his family just as a white person does and so first time witness normal human traits and feelings in a slave. In this way Twain portrays Huck as being more civilised than his surrounding society. We see how Huck not only questions society about ponders on the right course of action. When the time comes for Jim is to be freed it is clear Huck abandons society’s rules and expectations. Within the civilised society, religion and education are supposed to teach moral values and principles, however, Huck realises that this is not always the case and so Huck becomes a man in his own right by not returning Jim to Miss Watson. This also leads us to the interesting point of the hypocrisies featured in the novel. However, it is the hypocrisies of the adults in Huck’s life which allows him to measure himself up against them and finding the right path on his own accord. Therefore, by realising this he takes one step closer in completing his personal journey and finding his role in society. There are many contrasts and hypocrisies surrounding the civilised adults that Huck interacts with. Even in the very beginning of the novel we see how the Widow bans Huck from smoking and then she has a snuff box herself which is a form of tobacco. Maybe here, Twain, establishes that the adult world is not so pious and civilised as they think they are in the novel. One of the main ironies in the novel is that of the Grangerford family. They are depic...