Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn depicts the story of a young man’s journey into manhood. In his escape from society, Huck discovers a new world: a world of freedom, of peacefulness, and of tranquility, and he begins to question the values of society, coming finally to the realization that the world is full of hatred, deception, and lies. The transition which takes place in Huck’s mind and soul is further enforced by his experiences with the Grangerfords, in Brickville, and with the Wilks.
Huck’s first venture back into civilization from his solitude on the river occurs at the home of the Grangerfords. Although Huck is impressed because they are “dignified, hospitable, proud handsome, courteous, devout, and kind to strangers and dependents”(Adams 46), he questions their beliefs and their blind following of unquestioned tradition when he learns of the feud in which the family he had so respected was involved.”They don’t know now what the row was about in the first place”(Twain 111). According to James L. Roberts, Huck’s practicality in this sense is important because it allows him to see through the superficial concepts which keep the feud alive and to evaluate it according to his own common sense (41). The episode which occurs at, and leads to, the end of his stay with the Grangerfords is the horrific scene in which the feud erupts. The brutal killing which ensues makes Huck so sick that he cannot even retell the story; and his admiration for the better qualities of the family is more than canceled by this result of their violence.
The second episode in which Huck goes through a change takesplace in Brickville, a small town in Arkansas, where he discovers through the actions of the kind and duke that the people are question what others tell them to be the truth(Adams 48). “>ignorant, cowardly, and gullible, too often accepting without question what others tell them to be the truth(Adams 48). Throughout this episode, Huck is to be noted for his neutrality. He believes that because the audience is so gullible, they deserve to be defrauded by the scoundrels. “Them rapscallions took in four hundred and sixty-five dollars in that three nights. I never seen that much money hauled in by the wagon load before”(Twain 153). Huck’s realization of the stupidity of society furthers his growth as he learn not to accept things at face value.
Huck’s final transition from boyhood into manhood happens during his stay with the Wilks. This episode satirizes the absolute gullibility of the human race. But unlike previous episodes, the reader realizes Huck’s making of moral evaluations. He uses the words,”it was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race” to describe his feelings about the incident. The game which the king and duke play is one that Huck “perfectly understands, and he becomes so involved in it, though unwillingly, that he takes the risky measure of telling the truth in order to break it up”(Marx 36). This final episode proves to be Huck’s final step into the realm of manhood as he not only sees society for what it is, but feels pity for those who cannot. Huck’s attitude at the end is a mixture of ironies and reservations of many kinds. He has arrived at a level of maturity and self-suffiency, realizing that he understands the society to which by accident of birth he belongs and cannot submit to it.
Huckleberry Finn, with its portrayal of society as a whole, traces Huck’s journey from boyhood into manhood, with his realization of himself, his questioning of right and wrong, and his acceptance of others for what they are, rather than what they appear to be.
Works Cited:
Adams, Richard P. Twentieth Century Interpretations of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.ed Harold Bloom. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ. Prentice Hall; 1968.
Marx, Leo. Twentieth Century interpretations of Huckleberry Finn.ed Harold Bloom. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice Hall; 1968.
Roberts, James L. Cliffnotes on Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Lincoln, Nebraska. C.K. Hillegass; 1971.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. NY: Harper and Row; 1951.
