Huck in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is consistently running from something. The Novel was published in 1885; however, the story takes place in the pre Civil War era along the great Mississippi River. Because Huck is habitually on the run, the reader can see how Huck shows himself to be adaptable, clever, and caring.
Throughout the many situations Huck gets into, he adapts. In the beginning of the story, Huck says he was "free and satisfied" living an uncivilized life. However, when he moves in with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, he gets used to a more civilized life. He even admits his liking to it: "...I was getting so I liked the new ones [ways], too." After his Pap takes him, Huck adapts, saying after a while, "I didn't want to go back no more." However, when Huck realizes he was tired of the way Pap treated him, he adapts to the river and to his resources to leave Pap.
The cover of the first edition of Adventures of Hu...
Illustration of Jim and Huckleberry Finn, by EW Ke...
mark twain Category:Mark Twain imagesHe even adapts well to the island by scouting out food sources and finding ways to pass his time. Huck adapts throughout the story because it is the way in which he survives.
Throughout his adventure, Huckleberry Finn also demonstrates his cleverness. Sometimes his schemes are well thought out; while other instances they are just spur of the moment improvising. One of Huck's best schemes is his "death." Huck decides the only way to get away from Pap is to make him think he is dead. Therefore, he kills a boar with Pap's rifle, slits its stomach, and swaths the blood throughout Pap's cabin. He then drags the dead boar to the river and escapes. Additionally, when Huck and Jim are on the raft and the slave hunters come wandering by Huck has to...