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HucksJourneysSignificance

NoahJohnson2014

WhenlookingattheinjusticesinAmericanhistory,manymoderndayobserversmaywonder
whyittooksolongforghastlyinjusticestoberectified.Althoughhedidnotliveinmoderntimes,Mark
Twainwonderedthesamethingaboutthesocietyhewaslivingin.Inhisnovel,TheAdventuresof
HuckleberryFinn,Hucksjourneyisusedtorepresentthelifelongmoraldevelopmentofanindividual
insociety.Hestartsoffasanoutsidertosociety,aidingarunawayslaveandescapinghisabusivefather.
TwainhasthereaderrootingforHuckasanoutsidertosociety,expectinghimtoseethehypocrisy
andfollyoftheworldhelivesinandovercomeitTwain,however,hadadifferentplan.Havinglived
throughtheU.S.CivilWar,Twainhadgrownthoroughlydisillusionedwithsocietalprogressthroughthe
failureofpostwarreconstruction,andthatsentimentwasexpressedsubstantiallyinthebook.Twain
expressesthisbycriticizingReconstructionsfalsesenseoffreedom,fakeequality,andthewayinwhich
societyrepressesthosewhoattempttoseekthemoralhighground.TheauthorusesHucksjourneyto
highlighthow,asfreedmenwerenottrulyfree,Huckisnottrulyfree.Healsoilluminateshowequality
doesnotcomequickly,societysimprintedopinionsaredifficulttoovercome.Hucksjourneythrough
thesouthgreatlyaffectshismoraldevelopment,exemplifyinghowthechangeofsocietalvaluesisaslow
andreluctantevolution.
OneofthefacetsofsocietyandReconstructionthatTwaincriticizedwasfalsefreedom.When
HuckfirstmeetsrunawayslaveJimafterescapingfromhisfather,heisexcitedforthefriendshipIwas
eversogladtoseeJim.Iwarntlonesome,now(41).Huckdoesnotquestionwhyaslavewouldbe
hidingonanisland,showingthatfreedomisintrinsicallynatural.Thetwosoonbecomefriendsand
travelingcompanions.Complicatingtheirquestforfreedom,however,Twainintroducestwoconmen
intotheircompanyofvagabonds.TheconmenmakeHuckandJimservethemasroyalty,andaidin
theirunethicalschemes.Thetworunawaysputupwiththisabusebecausetheythinkitisbetterthan
returninghome.Huckwasontherunfromhisfather,andJimwasontherunfromhismasterhowever,
attheendofthenovel,itisrevealedthatJimwassetfreeinhislatemasterswill,andHucksfatherwas
founddeadbyJim.InthefinalchapterHuckasksTomwhathewouldhavedoneifheManagedtoset
a[slave]freethatwasalreadyfreebefore?(291)OnecouldinterpretthisquotetothinkthatTwainwas
askingthisofeveryone.Twainstatesthatallareinherentlyfree,butareheldcaptivebycontinuity.This
revealsthatwhenchangeoccurs,evenifitisgreatlydesired,itisstillslowtobecomeeffective.The
friendsjourneythroughouttheSouthcouldberomanticallyviewedasaquestforfreedom,but
realistically,Twainshowsbotharebeingheldcaptivebysociety.Theauthorusesthispseudofreedom
todemonstratethefailureoftheabolitionmovementssupposedtriumphintheCivilWar.Though
Huck,Jimandliberatedslaveswerefreeintechnicality,Southernsocietysacceptednormsofbigotry,
racism,andresistancetochangeensuredthatgainingtruefreedomwasaslowprocess.
AnotherfeatureofsocietythatTwaintackledwithHucksjourneyisthesentimentofequality.
TwainsjuxtapositionofHuckandJimthroughoutthenovelprovidesagreatopportunitytoobservethe
progressionofHuckseeingJimasanequal.HuckinitiallydoesnotviewJimashisequalHoweverhe
doesbegintomakeprogress.ItwasfifteenminutesbeforeIcouldworkmyselfuptogoandhumble
myselftoaniggerbutIdoneit,andIwarnteversorryforitafterwards,neither(86).Thisilluminates
thateventhoughhestillviewshimaslesser,hebeginstoseeJimshumanity,discoveringthattreating
Jimwithhumandignityisnotasbadashethought.Slowly,HuckbeginstoseeJimasmorethanjusta
slave.EvenmoreimportantthanHuckshumanizationofJimisthemannerinwhichTwainrationalizesit.
WhenJimtalksabouthowmuchhemisseshisfamilyhucksaysIdobelievehecaredjustasmuchfor
hispeopleaswhitefolks...itdontseemnatural(155).TwainshowusthateventhoughHuckseeshow
humanJimis,hisimprintedsocietalproprietarypreventshimfromchanginghisviewsonrace.Overthe
lengthofhisjourney,HuckdoesdevelopasenseofequalitywithJim,butnotwithblacksasawhole.
Thisilluminatesthecauseofsocietysslowequalizationwhenwhitepeoplebegintorealizehowsimilar
ablackpersonistothemselves,theyviewthemaslessofablackperson,insteadofrealizingthe
intrinsicequalityoftheraces.
ThroughHucksjourney,Twainshowsthereaderwhathappenswhenonetriestomorally
overcomethefailuresofsociety.Huckstartshisjourneyheavilytiedtosociety,butthroughoutthe
journey,hisinnermoralityisconstantlystrugglingforfreedomagainstsociety,almostalwaysfindingitself
fetteredonceagain.Ifthenovelwereromantic,theherosvalueswouldstandfirmthroughout,but
realisticTwainwantedtoprovehowhardthatgoalistoachieve.WhenHuckrejectssocietalnormsin
ordertoadheretohismoralprinciples,hestatesthathewouldrathergotohellthanbetrayhisbeliefs.
HeresolvestogoWholeHog,completelygivinguponsocietysmoralsandreinforcinghisown.
However,Twainquicklyquashesthisromanticideawiththeharshtruthofreality.Tom,Hucksfoilin
thestory,arrives,andthetwobegintoplotJimsescape.However,itisdemonstrated,whenJim
removeshisbindingsthatheisfullycapableofescapingonhisown.Tomusinghimforhisentertainment
istheonlythingholdinghimcaptive.ThisinadvertentcaptivitythatHuckcausesexemplifieshoweven
thosewiththehighestofmoralambitionsarerepressedbytheslowprogressofsociety.Thisfinal
adventureforourmaincharacterexposesthefailureofhisquestformoraldevelopment.Huckbegins
withanalmostromanticattitudeofovercomingthesystem,butinsteadofachievingthataim,he
unintentionallyconforms.PerhapsHuckhimselfexplainsitbestAbodythatdontgetstartedright
whenheslittle...getsbeat(91).Nomatterhowvirtuousapersonis,thesocietytheyareborninto
overpowerstheirpersonalmorals,preventingtheprogressofsociety.
HucksjourneythroughtheSouthisaprimeexampleofhowthesearchforprogressisoften
impededbysocietysinabilitytochange.Trulyavictimofhissocietys,Huckwasraisedinthe
AntebellumSouth,anditsmoralswereimprintedonhimatayoungage,makingitevenharderforhim
tomorallyriseabove.HuckmakesgreatprogressinseeingJimasanequalhumanbeing,butthenature
ofhissocietymakesitimpossibletoseethebigpicture.Instilledwithafalsesenseoffreedom,Huck
discoveredhewasnevertrulyunfetteredfromtherepressionofsociety,andthelessonTwaintaught
throughhisjourneyresoundsthroughouttheages.Themoraljustnessofacauseorapersonis
insignificantincomparisonwiththeoverwhelmingpowerofasocietywithaningrainedantipathyto
progress.

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