Essay Example: Huck Finn Civilized Society

📌Category: Books, Sociology, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
📌Words: 852
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 21 February 2022

Society is a bubble that often groups people of similar values or culture together. Each society has a different way of interpreting the concept of being civilized, and sometimes the state of being civilized within a society and its norms causes ideas such as slavery to become acceptable. Due to the solid standards of society, it is difficult for some people to fit in and hold a favored opinion about matters which causes them to diverge from the “civilized” and lead themselves to a different way of life.  In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck realizes that learning about virtues and wearing nice clothes doesn’t interest him, and he wants to develop himself on his own rather than letting Miss Watson and Widow Douglas step him through the way that they perceive to be morally correct. Huck chooses to reject civilization because he wants to escape from the general views of society and allow his adventures to shape his viewpoints. His decision to leave the bubble of civilization is a righteous choice because he is able to develop his own ways of living without the overarching influences of society.

Fundamentally, Huck’s decision to leave his civilized life behind is heavily influenced by the mistreatment that he receives from his father. Since Huck is still a child of Pap under the law, Pap unfortunately has full control over Huck’s life. Pap only comes to see Huck whenever he seeks money to purchase alcohol to fuel his drinking problems, and Pap believes that he can treat Huck poorly by using violence and channeling his anger. Due to the unending abuse, Huck tries to escape to Jackson Island because he doesn’t want to live in a constant state of fear that is deemed to be civilized. He stages his death using the blood of a dead pig, so it seems as though robbers killed him. Huck extends to these extreme measures because he doesn’t see the necessity of having a guardian or living a normal life in society. The forced obligations and rules that society puts in place feel like a restriction to his freedom which is why he wants to steer away from civilization. The extent that Huck is willing to get away from his current situation emphasizes that the “civilized” society wasn’t providing him with the appropriate guidance that he needed. Getting away from the influences of society was the only way for him to permanently escape from the risks of his own life. Even though Pap lives in an unstable mental state, he is still given custody over Huck solely based on the fact that he is Huck’s biological father. The new judge doesn’t allow Huck to have Judge Thatcher or Widow Douglas to look after him even though Huck’s welfare is increasingly at stake. This idea showcases how strictly society cares about the idea of ownership. In this context, the importance of having a reliable and stable parent or guardian is overlooked. The only thing that matters is the fact that Huck “belongs” to Pap, and it doesn’t matter to the government about whether or not Huck is receiving adequate care. Even though Huck’s physical and mental states are at risk, the government is unable to see this as immoral. Thus, Huck doesn’t want to associate within a society that doesn’t prioritize the basic protection of humans which is why he would rather live on his own with freedom in an isolated island. As Huck faces painful experiences such as receiving beatings and almost getting shot by his drunk father, his motives are to stay away from guardians and to build his own character that is fully dependent on his own judgement and values. After enduring the suffering caused by his own father, he found himself in a situation where only he could help himself. Due to the potential threats or attacks he could receive from Pap, Huck had to run away and take care of himself. Rather than growing up as a respectable human being in the eyes of the unjust society, he starts with a blank slate as he grows his judgement and views based on his way of thinking. This additionally connects the idea of slavery that is present during this time as well because it doesn’t matter how slaves are treated. The fact that they belong to their slaveholders regardless of their treatment reflects the inequality in society. This also reflects the dominance of the guardians as well as slaveholders that take advantage of those who are inferior to them which are Huck and slaves in this context. Widow Douglas’s slave, Jim, and Huck are able to venture out to Jackson Island as they both escape from the realities of society. Although they are from completely different backgrounds, they are able to treat each other as respectable humans and grow trust in each other. For instance, Huck treats Jim as an equal rather than as a slave or inferior person. The overarching influences of society that would’ve forced Huck to perceive Jim as an inferior do not apply to Huck because he has decided to leave the norms and views of society. Huck’s decision to leave civilization allows him to get away from the strict social structures put in place by society and grow his own values and judgements that aren’t modeled in favor of others. Instead of being taught what to believe, he wanted the freedom to discover what he wanted to believe and abide by which is what society didn’t allow him to do.

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