Huckleberry Finn Book Report

Will Mullin

Per. G/H

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

Huck's Internal Battle

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Samuel L. Clemens, who is also

known by his pen name Mark Twain. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was Twain's first book

relating to adventure stories for boys. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn stars Tom Sawyers

comrade, Huck. Huck is rough around the edges but a real good kid and softy at heart. Huck had

good morals despite all his lies and sometimes cruel jokes and tries to do the right thing.

Throughout the story Huckleberry Finn has an internal battle with racism and whether his morals

or those imposed upon him by society are the right to follow. Huck is a victim of his time and

influences.

Huck is a rebel always defying and opposing authority throughout the book and his

constant need to break his restrictions and be truly free would be preferable. "She put me in new

clothes again, and I couldn't do nothing... and feel all cramped up (12). Clothing are used to try

and civilize Huck but this makes him feel restricted and he would rather not conform to what

society believes correct. "I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally

she is going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it" (283). Huck feels that in order to

flee society he must move out west alone. "I been there before"(283). Huck's quest to escape

civilizations grasp is an one going one. What is interesting is that he despises society yet society

admires him and he is the ideal "lone ranger".

In this point in time black's were not viewed as equals by the whites and were some times

they were convinced that they were truly

of a lower class which could explain Jim putting up

with Tom's ridiculous plans for so long. "There's ben a dozen a-helpin' that nigger, 'n' I lay I'd

skin every last nigger on this place but I'd find out who done it, s'I; 'n' moreover, s'I....

A dozen says you!- forty couldn't 'a' done everything..."(270). People of the town thought of the

slaves as good for nothing pieces of property and could never have thought up anything so

complex and intricate. But of course it had to be blacks because no white person could do such a

low thing. The man mentioned skinning them as if it were no big deals and it was normal. With

Huck growing up under such conditions it is a wonder he even so much as talked to Jim the way

he does. Huck is a victim to this period in time where racism and white supremacy are as

strongly believed in as God himself.

Huck not only has to grow up in a world that believes in white supremacy but a

household that cares for him no more than any other black slave. His household consisted of him

and his Pap, a racist man with no heart for anything but drinking and getting drunk. I used to be

scared of him all the time, he tanned me so much"(27). Huck's Father appeared to be a man of

little substance by the way Huck had described him, "...most fifty, and he looked it, hair was long

and tangled and greasy, and hung down... long, mixed-up whiskers. There warn't no color in his

face, it was white; white to make a body sick.... make the flesh crawl...tree toad white...his

clothes - just rags"(27). The feeling of the whole description is not one someone would think a

fathers own son would give him but this is how Huck viewed his. I think that there was so much

dislike and hatred towards his father that Huck's strong feelings may have caused him to stretch

or exaggerate the truth. His father not only beat him but discouraged school just as a slave owner

would to his blacks in order to make sure they do not get smarter than him. " They say-can read

and write. You think you're better'n your father... because he can't?.. foolishness... who told you

you could?"(28). Huck did not enjoy school because it was another restriction however one has

to wonder wether it was his father and him saying how his mother and other siblings could not

till