Shreya Nebhwani
December 13,2012
English 10
Mr. Allen
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Analysis Essay
“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to
live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with
perfect sweetness the independence of solitude,” said the American philosopher
Ralph Waldo Emerson in his work The Complete Prose Works of Ralph Waldo
Emerson. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, honored writer Mark
Twain tests the hero, Huck, who’s amidst his early teen years and thinks wisely
before reacting. He then allows the reader to see that Huckleberry Finn’s character
is an ultimate personification of the ideals of independence, self-reliance, and nonconformity. Huck is an individualist, which reflects his thinking; as for a teenager,
he’s slightly influenced by society, a sponge that tries to absorb all substances
possible. From the start of the novel, it is obvious that Huck is from the lowest class
of society. With no support from caring parents – a dead mother and a father who is
constantly drunk and homeless; Huck is forced to face the world on his own. As a
result, Huck is easily allowed to be “unsivilized” and independent. On the other
hand, Widow Douglas, a woman who dearly cares for Huck remains persistent to
make him “civilized”. Preferring to sleep in a tree, eat with hands, and wearing lose
clothes to basing all his actions in a fine proper “siviized” manner appeared as a
severe drag for Huck. This teenage boy’s thoughts are only based on one thing; his
conscience and being true to himself in every situation he encounters. It is certain
that without these qualities, Huck would’ve never survived to this point.
Huck is the epitome of a non-conformist. Firstly, Huck chooses not to go to
school, which makes him stand out as a non-conformist as children of those times
who’d be offered the opportunity to go to school would choose to grab it. Another
example is, during the 19th century slavery was abolished, but racism wasn’t. No one
would ever think of running away with a black slave, especially not a white; it goes
against the entire society and their beliefs on slavery. The third example is that Huck
doesn’t want to become “sivilized”. Huck said, “She put me in them new clothes
again, and I couldn’t do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all cramped up.” (1)
The fact that Huck was cramped up states that he felt like a complete outcast within
the ways of society. Throughout the book, Huck is a boy who is searching for himself
and makes a choice according to what he likes. Another example of self-reliance is
how Huck uses his ability of lying and making up false stories to help him get
through situations. While encountering an old woman who caught him wearing
girl’s clothing, he says, “I told her my father and mother was dead, and the law had
bound me out to a mean farmer in the country thirty mile back from the river, and
he treated me so bad I couldn’t stand so I stole his daughter’s clothes and ran off.”
(60) The old lady was easily convinced by his false tale.
Huck creates and lives by his own rules; he travels with the freedom of the river,
and if the freedom of the river has its restrictions, he could handle them. Before
having his key to the wilderness, Huck manages to get rid of his biggest fear – his
Pap. The violent man who drove away his own son by his complexes towards
everyone. Even though, later his Pap takes him away into a cabin and yet he
manages to forgive his bad deeds and live with him. Without Huck’s ability deal with
all the difficulties thrown upon him, he would’ve been a person who gives in and
allows the harshness of world to control him. When it comes to surviving and living
on his own, Huck is able to eat and create his own shelter by himself. Before Jim, the
black slave, could join’s Huck’s escape, Huck was easily managing all his basic needs
on his own. He was able to catch fish and cook dinner for Jim and himself. Also, his
ability to look ahead into time and plan accordingly, when he says, “I’d hide her
good, and then, instead of taking to the woods where I run off, I’d go down the river
about fifty mile and camping in one place for good, and not have such a rough time
tramping on foot” (66). The idea of hiding the canoe is an example of his
independence.
According to Emerson, self-reliance is to stand up for our own beliefs
(Emerson, Self-Reliance). Huck is usually in two states mind, to either sell Jim or to
help free Jim. At the start, Huck felt that since it is going against the society and their
standards, it is morally wrong to free Jim. But eventually, he starts to realize how
miserable he’d be if he does sell Jim, a new good friend of his. The white society
doesn’t tend to realize that Black slaves are also humans who have feelings or
thoughts, not a piece of property. But, as time passes and a window to Jim’s
humanity comes open, he sees a fatherly figure in Jim.
Huck does represent the ‘great man’ that Emerson talks about in the starting
sentence of this essay. Huck’s individuality and nature doesn’t make him the
“average” white person in his society. Huck does survive adversity and develops as a
person, which makes him a dynamic character. In life there are two types of people,
some are independent leaders while others are dependent followers. Where Huck
stands is left in the reader’s hands. Most important is that Huck is a child; he can
easily make mistakes, but he can guide himself out of them by trusting his decisions
and being true to himself.
Citations :
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. United States : Tom Doherty, 1985.
Moncur, Michael. “The Quotations Page.” November 5,2102
<www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson/>