Huckleberry Finn: Difficult Choices

Throughout the novel, Huckleberry Finn, Huck is faced with many difficult choices of right and wrong. He forms opinions about religion, education, and slavery. Ultimately, Huck is used by Mark Twain as a simple mouthpiece to show the hypocrisy of social norms in the 19th century.

Growing up in the south with no family support or any moral compass instilled within in him, Huck relied on his own wit and thoughts. In his mind, God appeared impersonal and demanding, an education seemed worthless, and slavery a strange norm. While reading the book, I rooted for Huck to save himself and Jim from the adult world's continual injustices. His simplistic mind grasped the importance of human life more than "educated" Miss Watson, the Judge, or any of the other "well-meaning" townspeople.

The first time we see Huck come-of-age in his mindset about living is when he escapes from Pap. The new judge's ruling to have Pap keep custody proved the judges short-sightedness and ignorance. This kept with the social norm of having a child stay with their biological parents, even if they abused them. This is one of the first jabs Mark Twain makes at society. Huck escapes and fakes his death to get away from the "helpful" adults previously in his life.

With Huck's independence, he begins to transform from a boy to a young man with opinions about life and the value of it. Next, Huck finds Jim and is faced with the decision of turning him in to Miss Watson or not. After hearing Jim's sad story of almost being sold to an abusive plantation, Huck votes against turning Jim in--a second break from social norms. He forms a bond and friendship with Jim that Miss Watson, as pious as she was, never took the time to do. Huck believes he will go to hell for all his mistakes, but really he is making the right choices. Throughout their time together on the raft, Jim teaches Huck more about life than the educated society of St. Petersburg.

Hucks final coming of age is demonstrated in his willingness to save Jim, even if it meant being injured, from Tom's aunt and uncle. Also, Huck is going against the law by freeing Miss Watson's "property." Putting value on a life that most white Americans did not demonstrates Huck's final transformation. He may not have been educated like Miss Watson and the widow Douglas, powerful like the Judge, or worldy like Pap, but he saw things that none of them could see. He saw through the blinding film of society and saw how the world should really be.

With Huck's transformation and realizations about life, he finds that independence in the West is the life for him. Also, Huck comes to put value in his own life now that he realized the value of others. He no longer listened to his previous "mentors," but made his own choices and found happiness in them. Growing up does not mean conforming to society, but finally being happy with yourself and your own beliefs. Simple Huck found this by the end of his adventures.