Escaping the Bonds of Society in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

The Adventures Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, sits securely in the heart of American Literature. To the casual reader it is the epitome of a young boy’s want of adventure through and to discover the unknown and so it is, to an extent. But more so than that, the novel is a guide book to escape from an immoral and overly complicated society.  Compared to the conflicts of nature, issues that are necessary for survival, society is an over exaggerated web of immoral social codes. Through the novel Huck searches for a sanctuary; a place where he and Jim can go to be free from slave laws, his father, and the complicated society rules that he does not understand. But in the end, after witnessing many towns, he discovers that there is no such place for him other than the river.

Huckleberry Finn is given multiple opportunities for a family and societal life. After freeing himself from his father, he is adopted by the widow Douglas and Miss Watson where he is taught to be “sivilized.” Huck enjoys going to school and learning how to read and write but is displeased with his education in manners and social conduct. He does not understand why he must always be clean and pressed, why he must grumble (pray) over his food before he can eat, and religion, why he must learn about Moses when he has already died. He feels a deep sense of loneliness in the house with only the rules and two women to keep him company. His only consolation is Tom Sawyer who told him if Huck stayed he could be a part of his band of thieves.  

Huck struggles to find a group that he can belong with, because society has taught him that he must belong to someone. But after escaping from his father again, he decides flee and search for his own place to live. He discovers that his new traveling companion, Jim, has run away from Miss Watson and is torn about what to do. His first response is like that of his society; to turn him in and have him returned to slavery. The more distance he puts between himself and his home town the more he realizes that their thinking is incorrect. On the river he is able to create his one morality and learns that he has been struggling with ideas that are immoral and unnecessary. On the river his only concerns are finding food and shelter and enjoying his free time on the raft.

Huck makes another attempt during his short stay with Tom’s Aunt Sally, feeling genuinely guilty for making her worry about him. But in the end, Tom’s ploy to free an already free Jim proves too much for Huck. He realizes that despite Tom’s boisterousness and love for adventures, he is rigidly in line with the moral and social codes Huck antipathies. Tom’s treatment of Jim shows only slight improvement to slave owners. He treats Jim as a plaything for his adventure not as a man who is suffering. His last link to this possible life is cut and he sets off for the simpler life he and Jim had enjoyed. In consequence, the reader will gain a new look on the society they are a part of and gain a deeper understanding and respect of our predecessors way of life. Our lives today are fast pace which leads to conflict. Instead, like Huck, we need to slow down and enjoy the journey.