Huckleberry Finn Analysis

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel written by Mark Twain portraying the adventurous life of a young boy, Huckleberry Finn. Beyond the audacious plot, within Huck's spirit he struggles with the concepts of right and wrong. Huck is torn with the ethical issue of helping a runaway slave although he believes it's the immoral thing to do. This moral conflict regarding the equality of human beings is slowing resolved during the duration of the novel.

"He had an uncommon level head for a nigger," quoted by Huck during the beginning of the novel. This demonstrates Huck's belief that African Americans are naturally unequal to white people. He apparently believes whites aren't only superior socially, but also intellectually. The origin of these assumptions can simply be traced back to civilization of the 1840's. He was raised in a time and society where black inferiority was the only thing people knew. No one had ever told Huck any differently; thus the concept of whites being equal to blacks was alien to him.

"Conscience says to me what had poor Miss Watson done to you that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word?" quoted by Huck during the development of his moral conflict. Huckleberry's inner gut feelings and his principles of right and wrong were clashing. On one hand, eternally he feels he has an obligation to Jim, the runaway slave. "There ain't a minute to lose," Huck states after he begins to see Jim as a companion and friend on Jackson's Island. However, the other side of his conscience is screaming at him for doing such a "sinful" thing. He feels he is hurting Miss Watson for helping her slave to escape. He also worries about what society will think of him. Huck stated, "People would call me a low-down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum- but that don't make no difference." He struggles to figure out what is "right" as his opinion of Jim climbs even higher.

"...and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folk does for their'n," states Huckleberry as he grows to appreciate Jim. As Huck's perception of Jim changes he nears the resolution of his moral conflict. Huck begins to comprehend African-Americans like Jim have true feelings and intelligence just like white people with the more time he spends with his runaway