The Final Responsibility

It is now the end of Huck Finn, where many of the problems are not solved and character development in many characters is never fully reached. What I mean by this is that, for example, Tom doesn’t mature at all. He remains immature, constantly looking for a game. He uses Jim as a toy in his “game” to set Jim “free,” who we soon realize has technically been free for two months. As for the adults, they too never truly become responsible. After all, Aunt Sally isn’t even responsible enough to recognize her own nephew. In addition to this, the adults actually want to hang Jim at the end of the novel until they realize that he helped in the nursing of helping Tom heal from the bullet wound. These adults want to kill an innocent man until they learn he has more value in life then just a slave. They are truly ignorant and are not socially responsible, at least not enough to decide the fate of a man. Now finally the last character to talk about, Huck. At the end of the novel, Huck ultimately gives up on his society. He does not care what the people of his society think, he will set Jim free. Even after this, after Jim is a free man, the aunt wishes to attempt to civilize Huck once again. Huck refuses to become “sivilized” and does not care what the people think, it is like he sees being civilized as his society’s opinion, an opinion he definitely does not care about.

Responsibilities to Society III

 In Chapter 31, perhaps one of the most significant events happens in the novel: Jim is captured and sold for $40. What's significant about this event is that the emotional pain that Huck experiences, is pain that he has never felt before, it is pain that will cause him to change and mature. While thinking, Huck comes to the conclusion that he will pretty much do whatever it takes to get Jim back. His dilemma is with the law, and disobeying it. He remembers from his teachings with Aunt Sally that by disobeying you will go to hell, and he makes the bold statement that if rescuing Jim means going to hell, then it is hell he is choosing to go to. The way that social responsibility ties in with this, is that while Huck is going through the loss of his dear friend, he doesn't care much about his social responsibility to turn Jim in. He takes it upon himself to neglect the responsibility that is expected of him, and to do what his feelings are telling him what is responsible.  This is extremely significant as it shows that what society labels as right and wrong does not affect what he sets his mind to. It is actually funny because Huck believes he is doing the wrong thing but doesn’t care. My response to this is that does being socially responsible mean doing what society believes is the responsible thing to do or is it doing what you believe is the responsible thing to do in your society?

Responsibilities to Society II

As the novel progresses, Huck’s level of maturity increases more and more, as well as his sense of responsibility. Although he continues to grow with each chapter, his “growth spurt” of responsibility surely comes during the predicament with the Duke and the King trying to steal $6,000 from the innocent Wilks family. Early in chapter 26 while Huck is eating dinner with the sister’s, and talking to “harelip” (Joanna) he thinks to himself, “This is a girl that I’m letting that old reptle rob her of her money!”(201) Huck’s conscience is coming into play and he is feeling terrible of letting something bad happen to such nice and sort of naive people. This guilt and conscience coming into these chapters will ultimately push Huck into feeling that he has a social responsibility to do the right thing. After Huck has decided that he will definitely do the right thing, the problem is no longer what is right and what is wrong; it is how to do the right thing. Huck is now thinking logically and clearly. He wants help this family out without getting caught or getting them even more hurt. This is the type of thinking that a socially responsible person has.  What is significant about this is that typically Huck will go back and forth between mind sets and doesn’t stick to one plan. What I mean is that, for example, when it comes to Jim, Huck sometimes would go from thinking of Jim as a friend to contemplating if he should turn him (as shown in my previous blog). This proves is that Huck is becoming a solid, responsible character.

Responsibilities to Society

        Society comes with a set of rules and responsibilities expected to be followed by its citizens/members. The time period in which Huck’s story takes place was a time where laws were not as “strict” and where disciplining your child was actually considered punishing them, and not abuse. However, even back in Huck’s day there were responsibilities and expectations people had for one and other. Huck’s father is a drunken, abusive man who has completely failed his society, in general he just is not responsible, and more specifically he cannot even assume the role of actually being a father. Due to this, Huck runs away to live a life on the Mississippi. While doing so he meet a run-away slave named Jim, a character Huck will soon become very close with, and who will actually take on a father-like role for Huck. Anyway, the point is that while running away together, Huck will have random moments in which he doubts his responsibility to society. This a time period in which slavery is still a way of life and after all Jim is a run-away slave, so Huck feels like he owes it his society to turn Jim in. For example, in chapter sixteen there is a part where men want to board Huck’s raft to search for escaped slaves, after immediately denying it to the men he thinks to himself, “…I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong…”(Twain 113) Huck feels bad for lying to protect Jim, but then realizes he would feel bad for turning in his friend just because the law says so. At this point in the novel Huck is still learning right from wrong and faces this internal struggle.

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