Mark Twain's “Huckleberry Finn”

Introduction

The novel Huckleberry Finn was published by Mark Twain in England in the year 1884 and the United States in the year 1885 after the success of Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer was received well by the public and critics. Huckleberry Finn was a part of the previous novel where he was a close friend of Tom, this novel focuses on Huck. In the novel, the characters have noble intentions, but they do not do anything best for Huckleberry Finn. Judge Thatcher wants to improve the character of Huck's father, Pap, but it only gets worse. Miss Watson to turn Huck into a trustworthy person but she tries too hard and it backfires. The Phelps wants to do the right thing by returning Jim to where he belongs. The problem lies with the characters as they are limited by their own view of the world rather than seeing things from a broader perspective. The most affected by this treatment are Jim and Huck, and their greatest strength lies in looking out for each other. Huck is an impressive character with his literal and logical approach to his life and consistent emotional struggle.

Discussion

Huck is himself enslaved by his abusive father who beats him up and isolates him. Huck can relate to Jim in the way that he was also a slave. Jim becomes like Huck's surrogate father guiding him about what to do and how to go about things (Barksdale, R.K, 1998). Huck was a thirteen year old boy, an immature stage of life; someone has to be there to whom you can look up to. Huck's father Pap was a drunkard that did not care about his son. He did not want him to get any education, resenting his ability to read and write and be emerged in religious studies. Huck's father wanted him to be just like him, living in a cabin far from the civilized world and people that could help him out. Pap just wanted Huck's reward money and lies to the judge that he is now a changed man and will take care of his son. Following this statement he ends up lying drunk in his porch the next day. If Jim had not been in Huck's life, he would have probably ended up like his father, lying drunk and stealing for survival. Huck was a troubled child as the only family he had was his biggest problem. A child has a close association with his or her parents and if there something wrong with the father than that translates in the child's personality.

Huck lived with Miss. Watson, a lady who preached religion and she thought she could change him into a better person. She owns a slave herself and supports the idea of using a man in forced labor (Greene, D.L. 1983, pp.179-181). Huck being in his early teens would get the wrong message and implement these things in his life. This does not happen in the novel, Huck turns to be a ...