Conformity & Civilization in Huckleberry Finn

Conformity & Civilization in Huckleberry Finn

A main issue in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the conflict of conformity and civilization. From the beginning of the novel, Huck struggles with what he thinks of society while living with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. As the story elevates, Huck goes to live with Pap and develops further opinions about society. Many of Huck's values are tested when he escapes to live with Jim on the river on the search for their freedom. Arguably, Huck learns the most about society from his adventures on the river with Jim. Huck's moral development over the novel advances in many different stages, while different people and events influence Huck.

Huck's first exposure to the idea of trying to civilize someone is while living with Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas. Huck may have utterly despised the idea of living with them at first, but after a while Huck started to rather like the idea of having proper clothes and being clean. Although he started to like some aspects of living with them, it is not to say he completely enjoyed all the aspects of his new life. Huck found a lot of discontent in the moral convictions in his new life. The Widow told Huck "to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it." Huck knew this wasn't true, commenting "but it warn't so. I tried it" (Twain 8). Additionally, Huck didn't see how it was right for Miss Watson to say that smoking was bad while she snuffed. Huck did not know whether he agreed with the morality of Miss Watson and the Widow, but as of that point in his life, he didn't really have any other options.

Huck's life in civilization was stripped from him almost at the drop of a hat when Pap came and took him away to the forest so that no one could find him and conform him back to society. While living with Pap in the woods, Huck forgot all of his good habits and cleanly way of life he had known before. Huck started to enjoy his new way of life and he "didn't see how [he'd] ever got to like it so well at the widow's, where you had to wash, and eat on a plate, and comb up…. [He] didn't want to go back no more" (Twain 18). Huck liked "laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no books nor study" (Twain 18). But soon it changed for Huck and he started to realize that Pap was an alcoholic, and a violent one at that. Huck wanted to get away. Upon first living with Pap, Huck enjoyed his new life style, but after a while, Huck didn't feel safe and he wanted to get away. Now Huck had been exposed to the two extremes of society: the extreme conformist, and the ultimate rebel against conformity and society. Huck knew that Pap's way of life was not morally acceptable either, getting drunk every night did not seem like the good life to Huck. Huck faked his death and

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