Essay/Term paper: Huck fin

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Huckleberry Finn

Huckleberry Finn, the main character, learns he must grow up fast if he wants to survive life. Huck Finn

has a drunkard as a father, a hogshead as a home, and a mother (dead ) of which he never knew. He is a

congenital liar, a thief, and someone who has no respect for the rules of society. He will use every technicality

to get off with doing something completely wrong, but is ok by him. Huck is not all evil as one would think by

this introduction. He in fact believes in personal freedom, something which he never really has had.



Jim, a supporting character, also has to deal with many problems of society. The greatest one in fact is,

the fact that he is a slave. Jim is a very modest person, he will sacrifice anything to help his fellow man. Huck

sees this and begins to think of Jim as a human being also, and will "go to hell " for Jim. Although Jim is a slave,

he does not think of people based on their skin color, but in fact believes that everyone is equal regardless of

skin, and even age. One may ever say that Jim is Huck"s true father.



Both Jim and Huck have experienced life at a tedious level. They have their highs and lows, but mainly

life is not all it is cracked up to be. For Huck, he must experience having a horrendous father who beats Huck to

a pulp any time he is sober. And for Jim, the fact that his family is not considered human by society but rather

chattel that can be bought, sold or even traded at the slightest whim. Together Huck and Jim must work

together to escape the society which has allowed them to live the vile life they had, and move to a place where

society will let them start a brand new life.









When Pap , was not around, Huck felt better about himself. He enjoyed life a little more,

did not have to worry about coming home on time, only to get beat up by his own pap.

He kept me with him all the time, and I never got a chance to run off. We lived in that old

cabin, and he always locked the door and put the key under his head nights. He had a gun

which he had stole, I reckon, and we fished and hunter, and that was what we lived on

Every little while he locked me in and went down to the store, three miles, to the ferry,

and traded fish and game for whisky, and fetched it home, and got drunk and had a good

time and licked me. ( pg. 32 )


After Huck was kidnapped, life was worse than he ever expected. He would not know how long this

treacherous ordeal would last.


Huck knew he had to escape this way of life, and he finally got a plan to do it. He was going to fake his own

death.

Well, last I pulled out some of my hair, and blooded the ax good, and stuck it on the

back side, and slung the ax in the ax into the corner. Then took up pig and held him to

my breast with my jacket, till I got a good piece below the house and then dumped him

into the river. (pg. 41)

Huck later made a track of rocks to the river so they would think robbers killed Huck This plan simply shows

how serious Huck was about leaving his pap, and how he would do anything to get away from him.



Jim is in a similar predicament, so he must also escape. Jim is going to be sold down south, away from his family.


Well, you see, it "uz dis way. Ole missus-dat"s Miss Watson—she pecks on me all

de time, and treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn" sell me down to Orleans

But I noticed dey wuz a nigger trader roun" de place considable lately, en I begin to get

oneasy. Well, one night I creepts to de do" pooty late, en de do" warn"t quite shet, en I hear

old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans, but she didn"t want to, but

she could git eight hund"d dollars for me, en it "uz sich a big sac o"oney she couln" resis". (pg 50)


This shows that even Miss Watson promised Jim, she would break her promise, just for money. This is

something Jim is very scared of, and decides to run away. One could relate Huck and Jim, to Pap and Miss

Watson, respectively.



Both Huck and Jim have certain things that hold them back from enjoying a free life. Huck has

Pap who does not allow him to get an education, or advance (chap 6). Pap wants to remain a simple man.