Huck Finn

While Huck Finn may not be completely morally evolved, he shows a wisdom and maturity that is far beyond his years. The fact that he is willing to go against societal norms shows a far greater moral maturity than could be shown from whether or not he goes along with Tom’s unnecessarily elaborate scheme to free Jim or the duke and dauphin’s silly lies. The fact that Twain writes about a character with these differing morals shows his own wisdom and bravery as an author, writing about something completely unacceptable for the time period.
Huck does go along with some of the stupid things other characters do. However, it does not always seem to be he does not have the morals to realize it is wrong. It often seems he is just passive and lets people do what they want in hopes of avoiding argument. In fact, he does have the moral visibility to see that what is going on is wrong. With the duke and dauphin for instance, Huck tells us he was aware of their lies from the beginning. He knew what they were doing but did not want to deal with the fighting that would ensue if he tried to call them out on their lies. However, when their scams get to the point where they are harming people, such as the Wilks family, and Jim, Huck tries to thwart their plan and get away from them. When he goes along with Tom’s elaborate scheme to free Jim, he still thinks he is doing the right thing by freeing Jim, if even if he going about it the hard way. The fact that Huck realizes it is right to free Jim, and is willing to take the risk to stand up for the Wilks family shows he has incredible moral understanding for someone his age. His going along with the stupid plans just shows that he is still young, not that his moral development is stalled.
When it comes to the most important matters in life Huck shows moral development that few people, at any age, could have displayed during the time period. This is in relation Jim. While everything he has been taught from day one told him black people are below him, and that he should turn in Jim is a runaway slave, he still trusts his instincts and heart instead of society. This is seen in two very important parts; when he apologizes to Jim for scaring him, making him think he disappeared, and when Huck writes the note to turn Jim in, but crumples it up, once and for all deciding he will not turn Jim in. He says “All right, then I’ll go to hell” (257), showing other people have told him he is wrong, but he is trusting his heart. To stand up for something, when everyone else says it is wrong is a moral maturity many people spend their whole lives coming to find. The fact that Huck is able to do this at such a young age shows that when it comes to morals, Huck is far beyond his years, even if in other areas of life he makes childish mistakes, such as going along with Tom’s schemes.
The character of Huck is a direct reflection of Mark Twain. Mark Twain was writing during a time period that was still extremely racist. Although blacks were no longer enslaved, white people were finding every means to suppress them. Mark Twain humanizing Jim they way he does, and using a white boy that comes to do things such a apologizing and “humbling” himself to a black man is revolutionary. Twain not only shows this through Huck’s actions, but through Jim and Huck’s relationship. Black and white people at the time were not tied by loyalty or care, but by work and payment. Jim and Huck’s relationship is almost father son, since Huck’s own white father is such a disgrace. In the story Huck’s relationship with Jim is very much against the time, and Twain’s writing about it is going very much against life’s reality. Twain does what his characters do and stands by his beliefs, even though others will criticize and disagree.