Huck’s Moral Conscience
Huck’s Moral Conscience In the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by the great Mark Twain the memorable character of Huck Finn is constantly choosing between the social morals of the southern states during the time of slaves in America and his own self morals. Throughout the novel Huck is being taught that slaves are lesser beings compared to white folk and that they do not deserve the same amount of respect, this leading to the main example of Huck’s struggle with his conscience.
Huck has a good heart and knows what is right from wrong even in the smallest situations and is tested many times through strangers and friends. After Huck fakes his death he finds a true friend where he never thought to look before, in the heart of a supposed socially unacceptable, escaped slave named Jim. Jim sticks with Huck through thick and thin regardless of the consequences, whether they are returning to slavery or a broken finger. In the entirety of Huck’s life, he was taught that someone who confides with an escaped slave is no better than the black man himself.
This thought haunts his mind throughout the book, making him even considers turning Jim in but he realizes that Jim has been “might good’ to him and is his best friend. Their relationship is tested when the duke and king sell Jim to the Phelps and Huck decides to rescue him whatever way it takes, no matter how long it takes. The king and the duke are two trouble making characters who lie about everything to whomever they talk to just to get a few coins. The two misfits even take it so far as to attempt to steal a dead man’s money before Huck realizes it’s a horrible deed and his conscience takes over.
The money belonged to a family known as the Wilks, the three sisters Mary Jane, Susan, and Jenna. When the duke and king impersonate their uncles in order to get the money and Huck meets the three gals he says, “ I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my minds made up, it’s either hive that money for them or bust. ” Huck then does everything in his power to do the morally right thing and get them their money, in which he succeeds. Near the end of the book after the too bad men had sold Jim, Huck goes to the Phelps’s ranch to go get him.
The misses Phelps, known as Aunt Sally, comes running up to Huck to call off the dogs as he came strolling in and believed he was the good old Tom Sawer, her nephew. Since Huck is an opportunist he then claimed to be Tom, and later found out that the real Tom was actually coming to the ranch that very day. The two devised an elaborate plan thanks to Tom who just wanted adventure to bust Jim out. When the zero day finally came and the two actually busted Jim out, there happened to be a mob chasing them thanks to a faulty part of the plan and one of the members shot Tom in the calf.
The three escaped to an island and Huck came back to town to get a doctor who sailed to the island alone leaving Huck to be found by uncle Silas who took him back to the ranch. Since innocent Aunt Sally doesn’t believe Huck, or “Tom,” had anything to do with the escape she tells him to go to his room. She also tells him that she wanted him to stay put in the room because she was worried enough. Huck truthfully wanted to go out and look for Tom but his conscience wouldn’t let him, so Aunt Sally could be calm at mind.
Huck clashed with his conscience and social morals throughout the book and was able to decipher right from wrong. He made the right choice in keeping his friend close and never letting him go no matter what. Huck also realized it was wrong what they were doing to the Wilks and even did what was right when the opportunity presented itself. Finally Huck topped it off with a bang in resisting what he wanted to do most, to look for Tom, just so someone might be able to sleep better.
