Huck Finn, Violence And Greed In Essay, Research Paper

Violence and Greed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Violence and greed motivate much of the characters’ actions in Mark Twain’s, The

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Acts of violence include1 the Grangerfords feud with

the Shepardsons, the robbers’ plans for Jim Turner, and one town’s revenge against the

King and Duke. Also, Jim’s escape and his plans to steal his children, possibly with the

help of an abolitionist, is an example of violence in Twain’s novel. Greed can be found in

Pap’s wishes to gain control of Huck’s money, and the King and Duke’s lifestyle.

One motivation made by greed was Pap’s need for Huck’s money, held by Judge

Thatcher. Skillfully, Huck sells his 6,150 dollar fortune to the Judge for one dollar to

ensure his father will never poses it. Sorrowfully, this does not discourage Pap’s advances

to retrieve the money. He visits Judge Thatcher only to find that the money is out of his

reach. Furious, these actions of greed turned into actions of violence as Pap kidnaps

Huck and brings him to a cabin in the woods. Ingeniously, Huck devised a plan to

escape. For days Huck sawed a hole in the cabin wall. When pap left one morning, Huck

finished the hole, escaped, and splashed pigs blood on the interior cabin walls to give

Pap the impression that he had been murdered.

In chapter eleven of the novel, Huck encounters a shipwreck and overhears two

robbers’ plans to kill Jim Turner, their accomplice, for telling on them. Huck hears Jim

Turner say “‘Oh, please don’t Bill-I hain’t ever goin’ to tell’” (51). Hearing this motivates

Huck to take the robbers’ boat, since his had floated away, to take the loot, and to send

officials to capture the men.

Huck’s second motivation from violence was during his encounter with the

Sheperdsons and the Grangerfords. While staying with the Granferfords, Huck witnesses

Buck, a young Grangerford, dive into a group of bushes and shoot at Harney Shepardson.

Confused, Buck tells Huck that

‘a feud is this way. A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills his; then that

other man’s brother kills him; then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one

another, then the cousins chip in-and by-and-by everybody’s killed off, and there

ain’t no more feud’ (81-82).

When Huck realizes the brutality of the feud, he leaves in disgust.

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn characters are motivated

throughout the novel by greed and violence. The Grangerford and Shepardson feud and

the robbers’ plans for Jim Turner are examples of violence, while Pap’s need for Huck’s

fortune is an example of greed progressing into violence. There are other examples of

greed and violence throughout Twain’s novel. Such examples include the King and

Duke’s lifestyle, one town’s revenge on them, and Jim’s plans to escape and rescue his

children.