Doing What is Right in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Introduction

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a compelling story filled with excitement, sorrow, and life lessons. Huckleberry Finn goes on an escapade into the south with a runaway slave, Jim. The opportunity to do what is morally right versus what everyone around you believes is right is an option people come across today. A decision between doing what is morally correct and what society expects of oneself is a choice Huck is continuously making. Throughout the story of Huckleberry’s adventure, his conscience is regularly fighting with his brain on what to do. In chapter sixteen, Jim is telling Huck how he will save money to buy back his family once he is free, and if he does not have enough money, he will steal them. This makes Huck feel as if he is doing wrong by the man who owns Jim’s children. Huck tells Jim he will take the canoe to shore and see how far they are from Cairo, the city Jim associated with his freedom. When Huck leaves in the canoe, he has the intention to turn Jim in. Huck hears Jim say that he is the, “on’y white genlman dat ever kep’ his promise to ole Jim” (Twain, 1884). These words made Huck realize returning Jim to slavery would be breaking the trust of a friend.

Doing What is Right in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Just because society expects you to return a person to slavery, it does not mean it is the morally correct decision to make. Just last month, India removed a law discriminating against the LGBTQ community (Smith, 2023). For many years, the people of the LGBTQ community in India had been criminals for expressing themselves. Slavery in America kept African Americans from living their lives fully. They were invariably degraded because of the color of their skin. Huck recognized that the color of one's skin does not make you more or less human than someone else. With the new law passing in India, it shows, “our ability to recognize others who are different is a sign of our own evolution” (Jones, 2023). The people of India identified that they were ignorant about rights the LGBTQ community is entitled to, just as Huck realizes Jim is just as human as he is. Others in the story recognized that slaves are people too. Miss Mary Jane was disheartened when a slave family was separated due to the auctioning of their property. As she and Huck discussed her feelings on moving to England, “she didn’t know how she was ever going to be happy there, knowing the mother and children warn’t ever going to see each other no more” (Twain, 1884). Mary Jane knew it was unethical to separate a family, no matter the color of their skin. Huck did not want Mary Jane to endure the pain of thinking this was her doing. He decided telling her the truth was the appropriate action to take.

Contemporary Reflections on Morality

Recently, in Kenya, many people have been ignoring laws and acting inappropriately towards their fellow citizens. Some are saying that, “when morals go down, the society becomes disorderly and everything and anything is possible” (Ngugi, 2023). The increase of crime and rape show the lack of respect and morality citizens have. With no appreciation for one's own life, they have no appreciation for the life of another. Huck and Mary Jane considered the lives and feelings of other human beings more than some people in the world today. All throughout the story of Huckleberry’s adventure, characters are given the choice to side with society or their morality. Huck had the chance to return his friend to slavery as society would expect him to do, but he never did. Mary Jane was heartbroken about splitting up a slave family and rejoiced when she found out they would be reunited. These characters knew not to let society dictate what they believed about others based on their race. Their actions serve as a reminder that moral courage often requires standing against the prevailing norms to uphold justice and humanity.