In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck’s level of maturity and overall independence drastically changes throughout the novel. Huck begins the novel very immaturely with a misdirected moral compass and even less intellectual independence. As he travels down the river, his experiences vastly improve his maturity, morality, and most importantly his intellectual independence.
Here he reflects his attitude that Jim is incapable of learning, using reason and logic, or making intelligent arguments. Later though, Huck's attitude changes. As Jim and Huck experience a lot of trials together, Huck learns to respect and care for Jim as a human being, and as an equal.
Huck matures considerably over the course of the novel. In the beginning, he is not exactly just like everyone else. He is a vagabond who is used to answering to his own drummer. Yet he befriends Jim, finds he has a conscience, learns empathy, and goes on his own way.
With that change, comes the change of the reader's perspective. Huck has always been taught that black people are property--they are void of feelings, dreams, intellect, etc. Living with Jim as Huck does in such close proximity teaches him that his beliefs are wrong.
Huck has known him for a long time, and he has sought Jim's advice on a number of occasions (such as the incident with the hairball). When they find themselves on the island together and then journeying on the raft, their relationship grows and changes as we would expect it to. With that change, comes the change of the reader's perspective.
Throughout the novel, Huck goes on adventures with the runaway slave, Jim, and develops his own morals separate from society. Huck also sees many terrible things humans are capable of: the deadly feuds, the greedy crimes of the duke and the dauphin, murders, etc.
By not following his conscience, he alters his actions when he starts telling the truth, views the world differently, and helps Jim escape. This leads to his actions changing because of all his new experiences and maturing on the way. Huck did not follow his conscience and this causes him to start telling the truth.
Huck changes in several ways; he sees African-Americans differently, he starts to believe in superstition, and he also changes the way he acts toward people. One of the ways Huck has changed, is the way he sees and treats African-Americans.
Huck felt bad after wards because he realized how much Jim cared and worried about him, so he apologized to Jim. This shows Huck's moral development because it shows Huck gaining respect for Jim and Huck taking realizing that the prank was a mistake.
The ending of Huckleberry Finn reveals Tom to be even more callous and manipulative than we realized. The bullet in Tom's leg seems rather deserved when Tom reveals that he has known all along that Miss Watson has been dead for two months and that she freed Jim in her will.
Huck Finn Head Vs Heart Analysis Huck has had two conflicting moral codes in his head: “Pap always said it warn't no harm to borrow things if you was meaning to pay them back some time, but the Widow said it warn't anything but a soft name for stealing, and no decent body would do it,” (Twain 72).
Huck becomes more mature by the end of the novel by showing that he can make the correct decisions to lead Jim to the freedom he deserves. One major factor where Huck matures throughout the novel is through his experience.
A while later, Huck decides to go ashore to get information. Jim agrees, but has Huck disguise himself as a girl, using one of the dresses they took from the houseboat.
What does Huck learn when he disguises himself as a girl and goes on shore? Huck disguises himself as a girl to go ashore so no one would suspect his true identity. He went ashore to find out what was going on and whether the townspeople were still looking for him and Jim.
Huck begins the novel very immaturely with a misdirected moral compass and even less intellectual independence. As he travels down the river, his experiences vastly improve his maturity, morality, and most importantly his intellectual independence.
Tom discovers that Jim is being held in a small farm cabin, and the two boys discuss plans to free Jim from captivity. Huck's logical plan is to steal the keys from Uncle Silas, quickly unlock Jim, and immediately leave on the raft.
Huck's attitude towards Jim changes from him thinking that Jim is just property and an ignorant slave that is below him, to feeling that Jim is his good friend, and equal to him. Huck was raised in a society that devalued the individuality and humanity of slaves; slaves were property to be owned, who couldn't think for themselves, not actual humans with feelings and thoughts. Take for example the numerous pranks that Huck pulled on Jim--they reflect Huck's attitude towards Jim. After the incident where Jim and Huck get separated in the fog, Huck actually thinks that Jim is stupid enough to believe that none of it had happened, and that Jim had imagined it all. Jim calls him on this, chastising Huck for his lack of sensitivity. Huck says,
Huck matures considerably over the course of the novel. In the beginning, he is not exactly just like everyone else. He is a vagabond who is used to answering to his own drummer. Yet he befriends Jim, finds he has a conscience, learns empathy, and goes on his own way.