The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel by Mark Twain about the journey of Huckleberry Finn and Jim, who both escaped. Huck, raised in the story as an adopted child and by an alcoholic father, it was rather hard for him to find freedom. As a result, he decides to escape and travels down the Mississippi River with Jim, an escaped slave. He encounters many new situations, like the family feud of the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons and the frauds, King and Duke. Despite so, he handles them all cleverly with the help of Jim. However, one day Huck discovers that the King and Duke sold Jim to the Phelps’ farm. Finding out that the owner was also Tom Sawyer’s uncle, he and Tom both decide to help Jim escape. In the end, Tom revealed to Huck that Jim was actually a free slave and that all the trouble they had was just for the adventure.
In the novel, slavery and racism is often presented in many ways as the story takes place in a time and a region where the slavery system was accepted and legal. As a matter of fact, the majority of people, including slaves like Jim, thought it was normal. Intially, Huck too had the idea that slavery is right and slaves shouldn't escape from their masters. However, as Huck spends more time with Jim, he gradually develops a close friendship with him. Despite enjoying the company of Jim, he also experiences the guilt of not turning in Jim. Huck faces a dilemma of whether he should continue to save or expose Jim. To help Jim’s owner, Miss Waston, it would be common sense and the societal rules in that time. Since aiding slaves back then was considered a huge crime, helping Miss Waston, would be the righteous thing to do. Nonetheless, as Huck reminisces Jim's kind nature and the adventures they shared, he saw that Jim was indeed his good companion, a father figure, and just like him, a real human being. As a result, Huck decided to help Jim even though it meant breaking the societal rules. In this way, Huck finally realized the unjustified societal system of slavery and changed.
Many people can agree that freedom is one of the most essential needs, but it was often dismissed during Huck’s time. In Jim's case, he was already accustomed to slavery and accepted it until his family was going to be separated from him. At that point, Jim made the decision to escape, in search of a better life and home for his family. While for Huck, he escaped due to his father’s beating and abusive behaviors. He also longed for independence from society and its civilized norms. As a result of those hardships, the desire for freedom became the inherent motivation for Huck and Jim. They journeyed and endured so many situations together in order to reach freedom. Their trip together also shifted Huck's view of Jim to one of respect, like himself. Therefore, it displays that without this want, none of these events would have happened. Without Huck or Jim escaping, they could have never met and helped each other obtain freedom. Huck and Jim’s determination for freedom only made them more persistent and their journey together possible. Freedom should not be taken for granted and the aspiration for it can go a long way.
In the story, kindness and wickedness in human nature are demonstrated with great significance. The different sides of the good and bad impact much on the situations Huck and Jim encounter. Though the worst is often presented more in this novel, kindness is still shown with instances like Mrs. Judith Loftus welcoming Huck or the two armed men giving money. In contrast, the story addressed the darkness within human nature, like the murder of the thieves and the scandals of the frauds, King and Duke. A form of hypocrisy is also seen in the novel with the Grangerford and Shepherdson family feud. Having a respected colonel and being a wealthy family, the Grangerfords were expected to be kind and righteous people. However, the Grangerford family had a complete different behavior when facing the Sheperdsons due to a feud. In church, the concept of "loving thy neighbor" was taught. Yet, the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons even took their guns along to church during that same sermon. Widow Douglas, Huck’s guardian, also displayed hypocrisy. Being a religious person and advocating the teachings in the Bible, she accepted slaves, like many others and smoked when she clearly told Huck it was a wrongdoing. The examples show the importance of good and bad in human nature and how they relate to the story.
Throughout the novel, Huck matures and grows up as he began to see the world differently. In the beginning, Huck’s perception and belief toward Jim and other slaves were negative. Huck mostly viewed slavery as a correct idea and shamed the slaves. Even most of the time in the journey with Jim, he often looked down upon Jim and treated Jim unequally. Moreover, when Huck found Jim again after they got separated, Huck decided to play a joke on Jim, telling Jim had only dreamt about it. Huck thought Jim wasn’t smart enough and wanted to make Jim appear like a fool, but Jim was actually worried and felt unvalued. From that moment, Huck began to see Jim as more than a slave and started seeing Jim more as an equal. As he matures, he realized that Jim is just the same as himself. Thus, Huck decided to save Jim rather than allow him to be captured in the end. Instead of going to “heaven”, he chooses to help Jim. Due to the slavery system and the society bleiefs, if a person were to help a slave escape, it was considered a sin. Huck chooses to go to “hell” by helping Jim than going to “heaven” for helping Miss Waston. These actions demonstrate deeply Huck’s true love and care for Jim. Through Huck’s gains and time with Jim, he matures and grows up.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn illustrate many themes and morals through the journey and experiences of Huck and Jim. Slavery and racism as it was what caused many challenges for Jim and other slaves. The longer time Huck spent with Jim, the more differently he began to see. Freedom, therefore, is what Huck and Jim seek during in their journey. Without their desire and motivation to escape, it would have never led to this. Along the way, Huck and Jim also encountered many who displayed kindness and. Though some, like Mrs. Judith Loftus and the two armed men, had attributes of generosity and hospitality, there were still instances of darkness in human nature. The hypocrisy of the Grangerford and Sheperdson feud shows the cruelty of humans as they even took lives of each family for no actual reason. It does not only happen with this well educated family but also to the town mob who tried to lynch Colonel Sherburn for murder, and finally turned out to be cowards and retreate. Throughout the novel, Huck grows up and gradually establishes a friendship with Jim, which makes him see Jim as a respected equal. Ultimately, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn demostrates racism and human nature that relate to the world at that time. Mark Twain, contributing greatly in the themes of American literature, is honored today as the father of American literature.
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