Analysis Of Huck Finn Essay, Research Paper

A complex literary work may have several themes. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, it has many themes. In my opinion I think the most important theme is that people in our world can distort what is right and just, causing an individual to break away from their ideas. This theme is conveyed through Huck Finn s struggles on whether or not to turn a runaway slave who becomes a friend in or not.

In chapter 16 the story s protagonist Huckleberry Finn begins to think that helping Jim (the runaway slave) get to freedom is wrong. He believes that it is his fault that Jim has gotten away from his owner Miss Watson. Huck says:

“I begun to get it through my head that he was

most free—- and who was to blame for this?

Why, me.

Through Twain s use of dialect he has Huck refer to Jim as a “nigger”. This shows that Huck has no problem using racial slurs. Which to his knowledge was okay. He did not know that it is wrong, due to its everyday use in Southern language.

As the plot moves along into Chapter 19 Huck and Jim meet up with two men, they call themselves the Duke and the Dauphin. But in Twain s use of characterization of Huck, he uses his sense to figure out that these two men are charlatans. Huck says:

“It didn t take me long to make up my mind

that these liars warn t no kings nor dukes,

at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds.

But I never said nothing, never let on.”

When Huck says he never let on, it was because if he questions the two men they would turn in Jim. This action shows Huck is breaking away from Southern morals by helping a slave.

Twain s theme reaches its climax in Chapter 31 when Huck decides to take Jim and make a break for freedom, getting away from the Duke and Dauphin. Huck says ” I made up mind that it would be long day before they ever see me and Jim again. I got down there all out of breath but loaded up with joy and sung out- set her loose Jim, we re all right now.” This Part of the book shows how a Southern white boy was just thinking about getting his friend a slave to freedom. All of Huck s efforts are finally successful when in the last chapter Jim finds out he is free by the authority of his former owner Miss Watson s will.

A complex literary work may have several themes. In this book by Mark Twain there are many themes. I believe that the most important one is that people in our world can distort what is right and just, causing an individual to break away from their ideas.