Gabby Sotelo
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain explores questions of moral behavior. The character of Huckleberry Finn, specifically, acts in ways that are reckless and amoral. In fact, Huck Finn frequently is characterized as a trickster; he seems to be unconcerned about the morality of his actions, often deceiving people only for the sake of his own entertainment. However, throughout the story, Huck shows remarkable character development. Using the philosophy of Humanism, which includes the belief that human beings are flawed but capable of improvement, the reader sees that Finn is not amoral, but moral.[1] He encompasses humanistic values like critical thinking and ethics, a system of moral values that helps differentiate right and wrong. Although some argue that Huckleberry Finn is a trickster, his strong sense of ethics and his conscious, active pursuit of knowledge demonstrate that he is trying to grow as a moral being.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents Humanism as a way of life through Huck’s moral awakening. Britt Holbrook defines Humanism as a philosophy “based on empathy, reason, and experience…[R]eason is a product of human intelligence that, when combined with experience, leads to the scientific method [of Humanism]” (495). The philosophy of Humanism relies on individual experience. Throughout the novel Huck experiences extraordinary crises for a white person, especially a child. A central proposition of Humanism, as per Corliss Lamont, states, “[Humanism] believes that man is an evolutionary product of the Nature of which he is part” (13). A person changes with life experiences; these experiences may range from good to bad, but each has a specific effect that can cause a variety of responses, ultimately changing the individual. Therefore, according to Humanism, every person can change and evolve. Huckleberry Finn is unwillingly confronted with the severe pressure of a racist mentality in which he has been raised, and his resistance revolutionizes his set of morals. Although Huck is a child, his understanding is substantial, made up of conflicting perceptions, which can lead the reader to the misconception that he is passive. Janet Gabler-Hover states, “[Huck] is, despite his sympathetic nature, a character whose moral vision, though profound, is seriously and consistently flawed” (69). However, Humanism states that each human being is “flawed.” Nobody is perfect, especially an uneducated child. Huck tries to grow morally throughout the novel, and this growing morality is fed by his diverse interactions with other characters, most importantly with Jim. Huck and Jim encounter each other when both are running away. They travel the Mississippi River in search of freedom, but in the long run they foster a father-and-son relationship, which leads to Huck’s moral transformation.
Despite how Huck changes throughout the novel, many critics label him as a trickster. (See, for example, Bercovitch 9ff.) According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a trickster is “One who practises trickery; a rogue, cheat, knave,” but in literature tricksters often are neither moral nor immoral but rather amoral. Notorious tricksters, such as the Miller in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and Puck in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, amuse themselves by mocking others in order to cause distress to the people around them. Both the Miller and Puck disregard the consequences of their silly and rash behavior for instant gratification. Also, tricksters reject change when it is focused on themselves, a distinguishable weakness that can help detect one. Tricksters essentially either lie or scheme in order to entertain themselves or to cause chaos. However, Huck has no family support, so he has adapted trickster behavior during his young life in order to survive. Mark Altschuler explains why Huck is labeled a trickster: “Lying and scheming are Huck’s ‘Cultural Scraps,’ behavior he has learned from people such as the King and the Duke and Tom Sawyer. Tom lies and schemes to glorify himself, while the King and the Duke lie and scheme to exploit others” (36).
Although Huck Finn plays tricks on other characters, his most pivotal tricks are meant for Jim. The pranks Huck plays on Jim are heinous, but in a perverse way the reader feels sympathy for Huck. When Jim and Huck are engulfed in a thick fog and become lost, Huck thoughtlessly decides to have fun by tricking a vulnerable Jim. Jim responds by saying he was devastated by Huck’s disappearance and that he feels like a fool for caring about him. In fact, anyone who would do that to a friend is “trash.” This response strongly affects Huck: “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back” (98). Huck feels so guilty that he humbles himself to Jim. More importantly, he feels no regret about apologizing to a black man and vows to refrain from hurting him again. In contrast, tricksters, by nature, are unapologetic because they get a thrill from causing chaos and disrupting others’ tranquility. Therefore, Huck does not fit the label of being a trickster because, although he has no regrets for apologizing to a black man, his conscience troubles him.
Huckleberry Finn develops a strong sense of ethics through his insensitive actions. Huck’s immediate inability to distinguish between what is wrong or right allows his subconscious to control his actions. However, Huck’s experiences push him toward ethical maturation.
Lamont states, “Humanism believes in an ethics or morality that grounds all human values…that holds as its highest goal the this-worldly happiness, freedom, and progress—economic, cultural, and ethical— of all mankind, irrespective of nation, race, or religion” (13). The utmost values Huck Finn demonstrates are loyalty, compassion and freedom. Finn’s loyalty to Jim despite his conflicted conscience is crucial to their relationship. Huck is adamant about making sure Jim does not return to slavery. Throughout chapter 35, Huck shows a discernible transformation, with his confession that he would not mind going back and helping Jim escape again (234) and his careful planning of Jim’s escape with Tom Sawyer.
Another instance where Huck demonstrates the development of a personal ethical code involves what critics call an example of “situational ethics”[2]; when two men come searching for runaway slaves and ask Huck if the man in the boat accompanying him is black or white, Huck answers that Jim is “white” (93). Although Huck feels guilty while contemplating what to say, his decision is very morally mature even though it constitutes as internalized racism. Huck’s ethical values consequently lead to their fight for freedom.
Ultimately, we see Huck being ruled by the ethical value of compassion. An ethical ambition of Humanism is compassionate concern for all people. Craig Taylor emphasizes, “We might say Huck has a certain sentiment, compassion say, and that explains why he cannot turn Jim in… Huck, we are inclined to think, is a person who manages to act with decency and compassion, despite the demands of a conscience distorted by racism” (61-62). What essentially helps Huck’s bond with Jim is Huck’s awareness of Jim’s love for his own family, in contrast to the behavior of Huck’s father, Pap, a deadbeat drunk. Huck is torn when he sees how much Jim misses his family: “He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he had not ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (167). Huck’s willingness to defy social norms in order to protect his loved ones is substantial progress since he cannot simply forget his upbringing, including the pervasive racism in his society. The tremendous shift in his views is unanticipated by both Huck and to the reader.
Huckleberry Finn’s active pursuit of knowledge involves much self-reflection and critical thinking. An example of Huck’s internal battles is when he cannot figure out if it is morally right or wrong to help Jim escape. In chapter 35, while Huck and Tom contemplate how to help Jim escape from prison, Huck states, “Alright, then, I’ll go to hell” (217). Gabler-Hover takes exception with Leo Marx, who notes, “This is the climactic moment in the ripening of [Huck’s] self-knowledge.” Instead, Gabler-Hover believes that this is a moment of moral awareness not for Huck, but for the audience (70). However, it is a wakeup call for both Huck and the audience: each internal battle that Huck experiences (his realization that what society says he ought to do, as per his conscience, does not feel right) similarly instructs the reader in Jim’s fundamental humanity and the unfairness of his treatment.
Jim visualizes his freedom through his words, causing Huck to gravitate towards him: “He was saying how the first thing he would do when he got to a free state he would he would go to saving money and never spend a single cent, and when he got enough he would buy his wife… and then they would both work to buy the two children, and if their master wouldn’t sell them, they’d get an Ab’litionist to go and steal them” (100-101). Jim’s commitment to reuniting his family despite any hardship inspires Huck to recognize Jim as a human being. Taylor agrees that the self-destructive judgments with which Huck identifies himself are not true, but “Huck’s incapacity is not a merely a psychological one, but his incapacity is a moral one” (61). Huck’s inability to turn Jim in or ditch him becomes a moral choice because of the bond they form. Huck’s subconscious recognizes the attachment before Huck’s mind can process it. In this way, Huckleberry is a dynamic character because he acquires humanist aspects due to his active pursuit of knowledge.
Although many argue that Huckleberry Finn is a trickster, his strong sense of ethics and his conscious, active pursuit of knowledge demonstrate that he tries to grow as a moral being.
Altschuler claims, “Huck Finn… who has neither well developed cognitive skills nor solid perceptions of social reality, does in fact develop morally” (31). The reader cannot blame Huck for being socially inept due to his very limited and non-consistent influences. Huck, despite being so young and uncivilized, overcomes these challenges, including societal pressure and pressure on himself, which help him build the groundwork of a sharpened morality, therefore demonstrating that Huck tries to grow as a moral being. Huck’s character is unique because such change at a young age, particularly with limited positive social influences, is gratifying and memorable. As a result, Huck is not the only one who grows; the reader does as well. Humanism is an ethical theory because its basic principle is to encourage helping others. Huck applies his newfound sense of morals and ethical guidelines to help Jim, becoming a humanist, and in this way, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn serves as a moral guide to those who read it
Works Cited
Altschuler, Mark. “Motherless Child: Huck Finn and a Theory of Moral Development.” American Literary Realism, 1870-1910, vol. 22, no. 1, 1989, pp. 31–42. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27746374.
Bennett, Jonathan. “The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn.” Philosophy, vol. 49, no. 188, 1974, pp. 123–134. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3750031.
Bercovitch, Sacvan. “What’s Funny about Huckleberry Finn.” New England Review (1990-), vol. 20, no. 1, 1999, pp. 8–28. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40243654.
Evans, Robert C. “The Trickster Tricked: Huck Comes Out of the Fog in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Bloom’s Literary Themes: The Trickster, edited by Harold Bloom, Infobase Publishing, 2010. pp. 1-8. https://www.pdfdrive.com/blooms-literary-themes-the-tricksterpdf-e28543719.html.
Gabler-Hover, Janet A. “Sympathy Not Empathy: The Intent of Narration in Huckleberry Finn.” The Journal of Narrative Technique, vol. 17, no. 1, 1987, pp. 67–75. JSTOR www.jstor.org/stable/30225168.
Harris, John. “Principles, Sympathy and Doing What’s Right.” Philosophy, vol. 52, no. 199, 1977, pp. 96–99. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3749948.
Holbrook, J Britt, ed. Ethics, Science, Technology, and Engineering: A Global Resource. Macmillan Reference USA, 2nd ed., 2015, pp. 495-498.
Lamont, Corliss. The Philosophy of Humanism. Continuum, 1990.
Montague, Phillip. “Re-Examining Huck Finn’s Conscience.” Philosophy, vol. 55, no. 214, 1980, pp. 542–546. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3750322.
Taylor, Craig. “Huck Finn, Moral Reasons and Sympathy.” Philosophy, vol. 87, no. 342, 2012, pp. 583–593. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41682983O.
Taylor, Craig. “Moral Incapacity and Huckleberry Finn.” Ratio, vol. 14, no. 1, Mar. 2001, pp. 56-68 EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=10454083&site=ehost-live.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry. Penguin Classics, 2003.
[1] Corliss Lamont in The Philosophy of Humanism states that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a precedent for Humanism and is, therefore, a key to the Humanist Movement.
[2] Unlike absolute moral standards, situational ethics requires contextualizing before judging; that is, each situation calls for a different set of moral standards.