Heather Owens 2nd hour 04/19/01 c/c essay In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it did not seem as though there could ever be a change, but you would be surprised at how big of a change there was. There was not just one, but many. It was exciting not knowing what changes would come next.
In the beginning of the story Huck was all for slavery. When he faked his murder and was helping Jim, who was a runaway slave, he felt as though he was going against everything he had been taught about slavery. For example when he started thinking about what he was doing by helping Jim, he felt as though he was going to go straight to hell. He felt this because he was brought up to be for slavery. This made it very hard for Jim to decide whether he should turn Jim in or if he should remain helping him.
Huck and jim on raft
Traditional raft, from 1884 edition of Adventures ...
English: Illustration from Adventures of Huckleber...Huck came off as being very immature, which he was. He was always with friends fighting and joking around. In the when he is with his gang, they made packs that they could never break. This showed that they were like any other children their age, immature and playing all the time. Huck was also not very caring. He only cared about himself and not about others. When he was at the Gangerfords house, he showed this. He only cared about himself being there and being treated well. He didn't think about the fact that they were making Jim do work as a slave, and that they were also beating him. In the beginning, Huck didn't seem like the type of person you would want to be around for long periods of time.
In the end of the story Huck showed that he had went through a lot of changes. First, his whole idea on slavery was completely turned around. With the help of Jim, he was able to understand that African Americans were not just slaves, they were people too. Huck also became very mature for his age. Even though he still liked to joke around, he came to understand that in order to survive, he had to start to be serious about everything. Huck was finally able to care for others, especially Jim. He also cared for Mary Jane and her sisters. For example when the Duke and the King were taking stuff from their family, Huck could have just left with their gold, but he didn't. Instead of leaving, he told Mary Jane what was going on, this way she would not get hurt. He did this because, again, he cared for her. In the end of the story, Huck showed that he was able to change, and it was by far, for the better.
Even though Huck didn't make a lot of changes, the ones that he did make were the best he could have made. The reason Huck changed his attitude on slavery, was because of Jim. For once in his life, he had a true friend, one who actually cared about him. From having this friendship, he was able too see that Jim was a person too. By living life on the Mississippi, Huck gained a lot of maturity. This was necessary in order to save his life. Without being mature, he would have probably not survived. By the end of the story, Huck learned what caring was all about. He never really knew what it was like to be cared for, because with a father like Pap, how could you. With all these changes, Huck became a better person. Though it was not easy, he was able to do it.
Changes were not something that was talked about at the beginning of the book. It was talked about though at the end. Although Huck went through many struggles, in the end, he overcame them. It was not any easy job for Huck to change, but he did. With the help of a good friend, he was able to make these changes possible.
mark twain Category:Mark Twain images
Illustration of Jim and Huckleberry Finn, by EW Ke...
The cover of the first edition of Adventures of Hu...