Реферат: The Moral Progression Of Huckleberry Finn Essay

murderer myself yet, and then how would I like it? (76).

This is the first time that Huck questions the effects of what he has done on other people.

After he realizes that he could now be considered a murderer, he makes a plan to get a

captain to go investigate the wreck in order to save the men?s lives. Even though the men he

would be saving are murderers and robbers, he can not justify being responsible for their

death, and makes it a point to correct what he has done wrong. This is the first major step in

Huck?s moral progression. At that point, he establishes a set of standards that considers

leaving the men to die as immoral.

Throughout the book there is the recurring theme of Friend v. Society. This is a main

moral decision that Huck is forced to make a few times in his journey. Upon arriving at Cairo,

Huck must decide if he should go along with society and turn Jim in as a runaway slave, or

keep his promise to his friend, and see him through to freedom. Huck feels guilty not turning

Jim in when he hears him talking about hiring an abolitionist to steal his family. He does not

think it is right to help take away slaves from people that he doesn?t even know. To turn Jim in

for these reasons would be the influence of society on Huck. Huck?s decision on this matter

marks another major step in Huck?s moral progression, because he decides not to turn in Jim

on his own. This is the first time he makes a decision all on his own based on his own

morality. Both this incident and the Wilkes Scheme represent Huck?s ultimate realization and

rejection of society. To encapsulate Huck?s total moral progression through his decision to

help Jim, Huck states, ?I?ll go to hell? (207) to see Jim into freedom.

Huck?s moral progression can be traced throughout the book beginning from his total

lack of morals to being able to make the right decisions on his own. It is only with the help of

Jim as a moral guide that Huck is able to undergo this moral transformation to use his own

judgement and truly progress. The situation that Huck is encountered with about choosing

friend over society is the main dilemma that pushes Huck to establish his own standards of

morality, rather than accepting those that society has set forth.