De Guzman 1
Thea De Guzman
M. Martino
A.P Language and Composition
21 December 2011
The Eyes of Huckleberry Finn
In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain allows the reader to acknowledge the
heartbreaking actions that humans still do today. Twain uses the greed and violence in his story
to show how low people can be and how unrighteous they are. Greed is shown throughout
Huck’s life; he encounters a few people who show him the wrong way to live. Twain presents
Huck as a young boy grows trying to understand differences between right and wrong. In his
adventure, Huck also witnesses several violent acts, allowing the reader to understand that there
are still people today that take violence as the answer to every problem. Altogether, Twain uses
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to analyze the problems that result from human greed and
violence.
Greed is a form of selfishness and it can ruin several people’s reputation. In the
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck encounters the two most selfish human beings the duke
and the king. In this encounter, Twain shows Huck that these men can neither be trusted or given
any respect. He takes this opportunity to realize that this action will only cause harm to others.
He begins to feel bad towards the girls and even says to himself: “this is a girl that I’m letting
that old reptle rob her of her money” (Twain 176). In our society today there are still people who
De Guzman 2
use greed to get by in life just like duke and king. In other scenarios, violence has been a major
problem in the society affecting the future of the next generation.
Violence in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” shows how easy it is to ruin a person’s
life. The Grangerfords feud with the Shepardsons shows a brutal conflict between two families
creating a dangerous lifestyle for their children and the next generation if the fighting does not
come to an end. These families do not present any normality or morals except cruelty. They live
to kill their enemy for the sake of their ancestors. This violence crushed the hope of Huck
wanting to have a family after feeling secure with his friend Buck. After all the violence, it opens
Huck’s eyes and ruins his hope of having a family, he says, “It made me so sick again if I was to
do that. I wished I hadn’t ever come ashore that night, to see such things. I ain’t ever going to get
shut of them—lots of times I dream about them” (116). Twain not only open Huck’s eyes but
presents the world the understanding of the after effects of what people can do when it involves
violence.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is read largely because Twain analyzes the actions of
humans which can be applied to the people of any time period in history. Greed and violence
cause harm and can only lead to a destruction of a person’s future or family. As for Huck, the
themes expressed in the book allow him to realize the importance of being an independent
person. Twain has successfully provided evidence to how cruel, self-centered, and greedy people
can be through the eyes of Huckleberry Finn.