Huck Finn and His Internal Con

When parents get divorced, each parent can raise his or her child differently, and the child`s beliefs may conflict, as he or she is hearing two different things. This sort of conflicting upbringing is apparent in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The main character, Huck, originally raised by his father, later goes to live with the Widow Douglas, who tries to "sivilize" Huck. Also in the house lives Miss Watson who owns a slave, Jim. Between Pap, the Widow and Miss Watson, Huck becomes aware of many different ideas and beliefs, especially about slavery. When Huck escapes Pap, he runs into Jim on Jackson Island, where Huck is faced with a moral dilemma. Jim reveals to Huck that he has runaway, but Huck has promised, "not to tell." Huck agrees to help Jim get to freedom. He sometimes feels that what he is doing is wrong, but other times he looks beyond the fact that Jim is a "n***er" and sees him as his friend. Throughout the novel you can see satire in Huckleberry Finn, and Huck faces an internal conflict with his conscience on the topic of slavery.

In the beginning of the novel, Huck goes back and forth between "sivilized" life with the Widow and Miss Watson, and life with Pap. Huck`s "sivilized" side is that which condemns him for helping Jim to escape, while his life with Pap, which does not directly reflect Pap`s views, yet the fact that Pap does not instill beliefs in Huck that are accepted by society. Huck`s wanting to help Jim goes against what is accepted by society. This situation lays the foundation for Huck`s internal conflict with his conscience about slavery. Since Miss Watson owns Jim, Huck views him as her property, and Huck faces a dilemma when Jim reveals he has run away. Huck has promised not to tell, but knowing Jim has escaped makes him feel guilty. "People will call me a low down Abolitionist an...