Adventures Of Huck Finn And Morality Essay, Research Paper

In every persons life at one point they will have to make a choice based on

their moral beliefs. These decisions can show what a person believes in right

from the start. In Mark Twains? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the main

character Huck, makes two very important moral decisions. The first being how he

treats Jim when he first meets him at Jackson?s Island and the second is to

tear up the letter to Miss Watson out of his love for Jim. When Huck first runs

away from Pap he goes to Jackson?s Island and thinks that he is the only

person there. He soon finds out that this is not true, and that ?Miss Watsons

Jim?(41) is taking refuge there as well. Many people would hate to be alone on

an island with a ?nigger?(43), but Huck is instead happy to have someone to

converse with. At first Jim thinks he sees Hucks ghost and is petrified. Huck

eases Jims feelings by changing the subject and saying ?It?s good daylight,

le?s get breakfast?(41), showing that Huck is not only real but he does not

mind that Jim is black. Jim feels that Huck might tell on him for running away,

but he then decides that it will be okay to tell him why he ran away from Miss

Watson. Jim keeps asking Huck if he is going to tell anyone about his running

away, and Huck replies ?People would call me a low down abolitionist and

despise me for keeping mum but that don?t make no difference I aint gonna

tell?(43). Hucks response truly shows that his ignorance has no bearing over

his moral kindness. When taken into consideration good morality is much more

important in the long run than being the most intelligent person. After

journeying with Jim for quite some time Huck begins to feel bad about harboring

a runaway slave. He decides to write a letter to Miss Watson explaining the

whole story, because Jim had been sold and he does not know where he is. Huck

was indeed confused about what he should do so he dropped he dropped to his

knees and began to pray. He felt by helping Jim he was committing a sin, but he

later realized ?you can?t pray a lie?(205). Huck saying this shows that he

feels what he has done for Jim is not wrong; instead what others had done to Jim

is wrong. Still not sure of what to do about the whole situation Huck writes the

letter to Miss Watson, thinking he will be ?cleaned of sin?(206) and not

feel so bad about what he is doing. After writing this letter of confession to

Miss Watson, Huck starts to reminisce about the times he had with Jim. As he is

thinking he comes across the times Jim would be ?standing my watch on top of

his?n, stead of calling me so I could go on sleeping?(206). Huck begins to

realize that he would not be able to ?strike no places to harden me against

him?(206), showing that he realizes that Jim has done nothing but good for

him. Huck looks at what he is doing and feels ashamed. He takes one final look

at the letter before saying ?all right then, I?ll go to hell?(206) and

then rips up the letter of confession. The fact that Huck looked back at his

times with Jim before deciding to tear up the letter shows that the decision was

obviously made conscientiously through his morals. Hucks morality has a major

effect on the way he treats Jim at Jackson?s Island and in his decision to

tear up the confession letter to Miss Watson. The manner that these decisions

are made shows that Huck does indeed have a good set of morals, which he uses to

make his decisions. A lack of these Morals could give one of the greatest

adventure novels ever written a completely different ending.