Essay/Term paper: Huck's ability to survive

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Huckleberry Finn

In literature, authors have created characters that
have traits that contributes to their survival in society.
The qualities of shredders, adaptability, and basic human
kindness enables the character Huckleberry Finn, in Mark
Twain"s novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn to
survive in his environment. The purpose of this paper is
to depict the importance of these traits or qualities to
his survival.
Huckleberry Finn is able to confront complex
situations because he is shrewd. Nothing is more natural
or more necessary than his ability to lie. In certain
situations I will discuss how he must lie because the
circumstances forced him to deception and lies and
evasions are the only weapons he has to protect himself
from those who are physically stronger than he. The
creativity, common sense, and understanding of people of
different classes give him the edge he needs to survive in
a rather harsh society.
Living with Ms. Watson and Widow Douglas, Huck has
adjusted his life to that of a civilized society. Huck
illustrates his shrewd thinking when he see signs that
indicates his father is back. Being afraid of his father,
he gives all of his money to Judge Thatcher to avoid being
persecuted by his father. Protecting himself was his
number one priority; he knew that if his father got the
money he would get drunk and in return would abuse him.
His father drunkenness become a threat to his life later
on in the story and by stopping him from getting the
money, he stopped his father from being an abuser at that
point and time.
Pap, Huck"s father returns to town to get custody of
his son because he here of Huck"s fortune, finally
resorting to the kidnapping. Huck is locked in the cabin
when Pap is not around; once he was locked up for three
days. At this point and time Huck was being neglected and
abuse; his father had no idea what his abusive behavior
was doing to Huck until he escapes. Pap became so
abusive(not realizing it because of he is always drunk),
that he almost kills his son in the cabin, thinking he was
the angel of death. This incident forces Huck to realize
that his father is an immediate threat to his life and he
must escape. His plan to escape is one of common sense
combined with shrewdness and imagination. He creates a
bloody scene with the blood of a pig he shot, smashed the
door, left some his hair on a bloody ax, and left a trail
of food, creating the impression that he was killed by
robbers; his plan is a success.
Huck must enter the world after his death in
disguises, born as a new person repeatedly to conceal his
real identity. Dressing as a girl to go ashore to gather
information is just one of the identities he must assume
through out his whole journey. This example shows how
ingenious and innovative Huck is in creating a creditable
story that will camouflage his real identity. In the act
of meeting a lady who had recently settled in town, he
dresses as a girl, makes up a name and a convincible
story, "trusting providence to put the right words in my
mouth when the time come." He finds out that her husband
was going to Jackson Island to see if he could find Jim.
He is fortunate enough to get this information or else
they would have been caught by suprise.
The capsizing of Jim and Huck"s raft, creates a
situation in which Huck must go ashore. He finds himself
in the midst of barking dogs in front of the Grangerford"s
home. Trusting providence again, he introduces himself as
George Jackson and that he fell overboard from a passing
steamboat. He is welcomed into the Grangerford"s home
because his identity and story is convincible. After a day
there, Huck forgets his new name. Understanding Buck, the
youngest of the family, desire to show off, Huck gets him
to spell his name revealing his new identity. Getting Buck
to spell his name because he understands his personality,
is just one of Huck"s qualities that help him to survive
on the frontier.
The adaptability of Huck Finn is marked throughout
the novel. He is extremely adaptable and can tolerate
living with the widow, his father, and in the
Grangerford"s home. Toleration of the best and worst
situations seems to be one of his best qualities.
Huck did not like the burden civilized society placed
upon his shoulders. Even though he did no like the
restrictions of society, he learned to accept the ways of
the widow; he wore the fancy clothes, ate dinner at a
table, did not curse or smoke, and decided to get an
education. He benefited from living with the widow and he
saw that it was somehow necessary to follow her rules;
abiding by her rules were hard at first, but he reached a
point where he "was getting sort of used to the widow"s
ways, too, and they weren"t so raspy on me."
A father is suppose to wish the best for his
children, but Pap seems to dislike the idea that his on is
getting an education, becoming better that who he was.
Huck"s father hears of his fortune and returns to get
custody, ultimately kidnapping Huck and putting him a
locked cabin across the river. Pap would beat his son
quite frequently. In the woods Huck felt free of the
civilized world because he would smoke, curse, and eat at
any time of the day because Pap had no objections, yet his
freedom was altered by the presence of his father. Huck
was abused, but he made the best of a terrible situation.
He got to a point where he "didn"t see how I"d ever got to
like it so well at the widow"s." He got used to the woods
and had no desire to return to civilization.
At the home of the Grangerford"s, Huck quickly adapts
to a relaxing and luxurious environment. He is impressed
by their furniture and most of all, the great food they
had to offer him. Huck realizes that staying here, he will
benefit from this generous family.
Huck is also a person whom responds sympathetically
human beings, even to the least of society. He protected
Jim, a slave, the duke and king, cunning thieves, the
robbers on the Walter Scott, and to the Wilks girls. Basic
human kindness enables Huck to become a better person, it
especially helps the relationship between Jim and Huck.
In some parts of the novel, Huck saves Jim, a runaway
slave from being caught. He save him on Jackson Island and
saved him from bounty hunters on the Mississippi. This
quality shows Jim that Huck cares deeply about him as a
friend. In return Jim treats Huck as a friend or even as
his own child although he is a slave. Jim would take
Huck"s watch at nights on the raft and do other things for
Huck that made his life on the raft not so hectic at it
would have been if Jim was not around. It is fair to say
that Huck being kind to Jim, makes his living or survival
on the raft a peaceful one.
In conclusion the qualities of shrewdness and
ingenuity, basic human kindness, and adaptability
contributes equally to the survival of Huckleberry Finn in
his environment. Adaptability empowers Huck to survive
from the best, living with the Grangerfords, and the
worst, living with Pap in the woods. Huck becomes a person
of moral values and have good relationship with Jim,
realizing he is also a human being, not just another slave
because he is sympathetic to the least of society and
relinquished the values of a severe society. Shrewdness
and ingenuity helped Huck to neutralize situations that
could not have been resolved by just anyone. Huck"s
sympathy for other human beings, adaptability, and his
shrewdness and ingenuity are among the qualities that
makes Huck one of the great character in American fiction.

























Bibliography

Salzman, Jack and Pamela Wilkerson, ed. Major Characters
In American Literature New York, NY 1986

Simpson M., Claude, Twentieth Century Interpretations Of
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, England Cliffs, NJ
1968

Bloom, Harold The Adventures of Huckleberry, Modern
Critical Interpretations New York 1986

Twain, Mark The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn New York
Harper and Row 1965