Event+From+The+Novel.

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain contains many critiques of life including institutions, traditions, practices, and social characteristics. One that seems to stand out is slavery. Even though Twain wrote this book after slavery was abolished there was still much prejudice towards blacks. The whites, especially in the South, feel that blacks are below them because they have darker skin. The novel shows that even the nicest people, Miss Watson, Widow Douglass, and Sally Phelps, can express no concern to the institution of slavery and the cruelty of separating Jim and his family. Therefore, Twain is critiquing the morals of the women of the novel with hypocritical religious and ethical values.

Throughout the novel many different people try in their own ways to “sivilize” Huck. They are all good people but ironically they participate in the evil institution of slavery.

Chapter Eight > Miss Watson was a good woman who went to church and tried to “sivilize” Huck yet she did not seem to care if Jim and his family were separated when she was offered $800. Huck and Jim are the opposites, Jim wants to stay with his family but is in danger of losing them while, Huck has people offering to care and “sivilize” him but it isn’t what they. The two are different people with a common goal to be free.
 * “Well, one night I creeps to de do' pooty late, en de do' warn't quite shet, en I hear old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans, but she didn' want to, but she could git eight hund'd dollars for me, en it 'uz sich a big stack o' money she couldn' resis'. De widder she try to git her to say she wouldn' do it, but I never waited to hear de res'. I lit out mighty quick, I tell you.” (Twain 43).

Chapter Sixteen > >
 * "Huck; you's de bes' fren' Jim's ever had; en you's de ONLY fren' ole Jim's got now." (Twain 89).
 * "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim." (Twain 89).

Huck is the only white person who can look beyond Jim’s color to see who he really is, a man rather than a slave. It is strange because Miss Watson is a “good” person who goes to church and takes in Huck as her own yet she does give Jim any respect and it would not bother her if Jim and his family were separated. Yet a boy who does not want to learn about Moses because he is dead, can look beyond the color barrier and risk everything to help a friend. Even if the friend is a runaway slave.

Chapter Thirty-Two "No'm. Killed a nigger." "Well, it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt.” (Twain 221).
 * "Good gracious! anybody hurt?"

Sally is a “good” and kind person in many ways yet she does not think the loss of a black man is a loss at all. This shows Huck is not affected by all of the racial influence around him; he has a mind of his own.



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