Theme of Conscience in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example

đź“ŚCategory: Books, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
đź“ŚWords: 882
đź“ŚPages: 4
đź“ŚPublished: 13 June 2022

Huckleberry Finn is the main character in the novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. The book details his adventures, which while fictional, offer insights into life in antebellum America. Society can be defined as parents, acquaintances, or even states and countries that throughout one’s life, pressure and influence them. No matter the pressure, when morality triumphs, everyone wins. Because each person has their own moral compass, when society’s is askew, the individual must follow their conscience.

Throughout the book, Huckleberry goes on a journey of finding his conscience. He ends up on the Mississippi River on a raft with an escaped slave, Jim. As they float down the river, Huck continuously finds himself torn between selling-out Jim, or helping him escape. One day, Huck paddles towards the shore, and when halfway there comes upon a group of men on another raft. They question him about his journey and he must make a fast decision. Lie and save Jim, or sell him out. He lies and tells them that he is traveling with his father, ill with smallpox, onboard the raft. When he returns to the raft after receiving money out of sympathy for his father’s perceived illness, he says, “Well, then, says I, what’s the use you learning to do right when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?” (114) This quote shows a big moment in Huck’s story as a battle between the pressure of society and his conscience. Society tells him the narrative he has learned his entire life –– that slaves don’t deserve to be seen as humans and instead should be viewed as property. His journey with Jim shows him that slaves deserve treatment as humans and deserve the same compassion and respect. He decides to go against the pressure of society at that moment, and later justifies his actions to himself. At this time in history, the majority of society believed that slaves were inferior. Huck shows us that following your own moral compass in certain moments is crucial for one’s conscience, and society, long-term. He chooses his path and makes his own decisions, and takes the first step towards truly breaking free from society’s expectations. 

Going against society’s expectations and ideologies, one must make choices that every individual struggles with. After a big storm where Huck and Jim get separated, Huckleberry finally finds Jim, asleep on the raft. He wakes Jim up and decides to play a practical joke on him. He tells Jim that the storm didn’t happen and that it was only a dream. Jim shows his trust in Huck and believes him until he sees the broken oar and branches on the raft. Jim feels hurt by the way Huck broke his trust and deceived him. Huck then thinks, “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back.” (108) This moment shows how Huckleberry breaks away from the pressure to go against his morals. Society wants Huck to see Jim as less than human and something not deserving of compassion. Huck challenges that and gives Jim the compassion he deserves, following his conscience. Unique situations happen to Huckleberry throughout his life and his own identity changes because of Jim and his interactions with him. Because of these interactions Huck to make the right decision to break free of the cast.

Our identity and conscience grows with every moment in life, from our parents and our friends to our mistakes, everyday, identity grows and changes. Huck and Jim meet two fraudsters on the river and get roped into one of their many con-schemes: a scheme to rob a dead man and his family of their money. The daughters of the man, not knowing the true identity of the fraudsters, treat Huck as their friend and this causes him to think to himself, “I felt so ornery and low-down and mean, that I says to myself, ‘My mind’s made up. I’ll hive that money for them or bust.’” (214) Huckleberry, yet again, finds himself torn between choosing to do the right thing, or go with what the fraudsters want. Because Huck grew up distanced from his peers and alone, this friendship causes him to reevaluate his choices. Huck knows that what is being done to this family is wrong, but it’s easier to just go along instead of fighting. After talking with the sisters, he knows that while it may be hard to do the right thing, it is what he should do. Each individual should choose their own path and not be afraid to stand up for morality.

When you follow your heart and make your path in life, your conscience recognizes the good decision. Society’s moral compass will align with yours most of the time, but when it doesn’t the individual is responsible to follow their own conscience and do what is right. Every person has a different life and so how they feel about different matters varies; if we were to let everyone follow their conscience it would be anarchy. At the same time, we cannot constrict people to one way of thinking, or one conscience. Huck discovers that slaves do have feelings, and as he discovers this piece of his conscience, he also must break free from society’s ideas and follow his own morals. It is easy to just conform to one’s own conscience and continue the pattern of easy wrongs. The hard rights take courage and morals, but those who do so are fundamental in society’s growth. If society’s ideals drift, then each individual must maintain their own course, guided by their conscience, for the sake of society.

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