Over the course of the novel, Huckleberry Finn raises many issues with racism and slavery. While this commentary goes on, what is a little striking is the fact that it takes SO much for Huck to eventually come to any kind of newfound stance on Jim/slavery. That is to say, there are certain things in the novel that Huck is very quick to question such as "sivilization" and religion when brought up by Miss Watson and Widow Douglas. With these topics, Huck is rather a bit more curious and more into asking "why" type questions. However, when it comes to Jim and slaves, Huck acts to a large degree like a typical white or Southern person. He does not question the institution of slavery or racism. It is not until he has his many adventures over the course of the novel that he begins to reevaluate his position on Jim and even still, it is very likely that Huck views Jim as an exception to the rule; one black person who seems nice and deserves to be free.
The arguement could be made that slavery was very much a norm and way of life and that as a Southerner, Huck would not likely question it unless he had a real reason to. That being said, the "sivilization" Huck rails against and his slight disdain for religion do not necessarily fit into categories of things to question when juxtaposed with slavery. Many basic religious conceps (such as prayer) and base ideas of what being civilized means (clean clothes, schooling) are arguably more a way of life than slavery ever was. Thus, why Huck would choose to question these things and not slavery is not exactly crystal clear.
Also, why Twain takes this approach to Huck's pseudo change of heart and subsequent addressing of the novel's major theme is not entirely clear. It is very obvious that Twain is asserting that slavery and racism are very much misguided. However, you have to wonder why Twain has Huck blatantly question things that are either minor themes (religion for example) or not of any real importance and not have a second thought about racism/slavery until he begins his adventures. What is more, even at the conclusion of the novel, it is not likely that Huck has undergone a rather significant change as I mentioned before. It seems more a change for the moment; one that could be reversed if Huck went through another contrasting set of adventures.
1 comment:
I do agree with alot of what you state in this entry; it also baffles me that Huck questions the institution of slavery so little, especially considering the amount of time which he spends with Jim. However, I have to say that, at the end of the novel, even though Huck does not outwardly exhibit moral development, I think that he has still changed, but is merely having problems coming to terms with the two often contradictory sets of morals which he now has to reconcile. It is implausible to expect Huck to stand up to Tom so soon after having his moral revelations; their relationship is almost entirely based on Huck acting as the folower and Tom acting as the leader. To abruptly break this formula would be quite out of character. This does not mean, of course, that Huck is completely ignoring his newly discovered moral code. While it is true that Huck listens to Tom's crazy scheme (even though it caues great inconvenience to Jim), the fact remains that, in the end, he acts with the good intention of freeing Jim from captivity. Through Huck's journey on the river, he has learned a set of morals which stand apart from those which are represented by 'proper' society; his hesitation in incorporating these morals into a world which will be unlikely to accept them is not surprising in the least.
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