Resumo de Huckleberry Finn - Conflict Between The Individual

The conflict between society and the individual
is a theme portrayed throughout Twain''s Huckleberry Finn. Huck was not
raised in accord with the accepted ways of civilization. Huck faces
many aspects of society, which makes him choose his own individuality
over civilization. He practically raises himself, relying on instinct
to guide him through life. As portrayed several times in the novel,
Huck chooses to follow his innate sense of right, yet he does not
realize that his own instincts are more moral than those of society.

From the very beginning of Huck''s story, Huck without a doubt states
that he did not want to conform to society; "The Widow Douglas she took
me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me... I got into my old
rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied"(Twain,
2). Miss Watson lives with Huck and she is always picking at him,
trying to make him become conventional. According to the essay, The
Struggle to Find Oneself Huck has become so used to being free that he
sees the Widow Douglas'' protection solely in terms of confinement. She
doesn?t let Huck smoke when he wants and she is always nagging. "Miss
Watson would say, "Don''t put your feet up there, Huckleberry;" and
"Don''t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry -- set up straight;" and
pretty soon she would say, "Don''t gap and stretch like that,
Huckleberry -- why don''t you try to behave?"(Twain, 3). We get the
feeling that Huck is an individual, a person who is independent and has
the willingness to live a life free of complications. According to Ryan
Schremmer?s essay Examination of Freedom as an Overall Theme in
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the theme of freedom is shown in
Huckleberry Finn, which parallels to his distancing from society:
One of the most prominent and important themes of Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn is freedom. Freedom not only from Huck''s internal
paradoxical struggle in defining right and wrong, but also freedom from
Huck''s personal relationships with the Widow Douglas and his father, as
well as freedom from the societal institutions of government, religion,
and prejudices.

When Pap returns for Huck, and the matter of custody is brought before
the court, the reader is forced to see the corruption of society. The
judge rules that Huck belongs to Pap, and forces him to obey an evil
and abusive man. One who drinks abundantly and beats his son. In this
case Pap symbolizes the viciousness and cruelty of civilization. Later,
when Huck makes it look as though he has been killed, we see how
society is more concerned over finding Huck''s dead body than rescuing
his live one from Pap. This is a society that is more anxious about
finding a dead body than it is in the safety of people. This situation
prepares us for Huck?s need to escape from society. In Schremmer?s
essay we see how Huck struggles for freedom from two families. He tries
to stay away from getting "sivilized" from Widow Douglass and tries to
escape his father?s brutality.

Later on in Chapter VI Pap kidnaps Huck and puts him in a cabin in the
woods. We see how Huck prefers the freedom of the wilderness to the
limitations and restrictions of society. "It was pretty good times up
in the woods there, take it all around" (Twain 32). But when Huck feels
Pap?s presence, is when we see how his feelings about being free in the
wilderness change.

The theme becomes even more evident once Huck and Jim set out, down the
Mississippi in chapter VIII. Huck enjoys his adventures on the raft,
"Nothing could be better"(115), Huck thought. But only a few pages
later the raft and Jim provide the same comforts. Nothing had ever
sounded so good to him as Jim''s voice, and Huck felt "mighty free and
easy and comfortable on the raft"(128). He prefers the freedom of the
wilderness to the restrictions of society. Also, Huck''s acceptance of
Jim is a total defiance of society. Huck rld
"call me a low down ablitionist and despise me for keeping mum,"(Twain
62) but he decides not to conform to society. Ironically, Huck believes
he is committing a sin by going against society and protecting Jim. He
does not realize that his own instincts are more morally correct than
those of society''. According to the Hartford Courant we understand
Huck?s feelings about accepting Jim and going against the norm:
Most amusing is the struggle Huck has with his conscience in regard to
slavery. His conscience tells him, the way it has been instructed, that
to help the runaway, nigger Jim to escape--to aid in stealing the
property of Miss Watson, who has never injured him, is an enormous
offense that will no doubt carry him to the bad place; but his
affection for Jim finally induces him to violate his conscience and
risk eternal punishment in helping Jim to escape.

In chapter sixteen, we see the most inhumane action of society. Huck
meets some men looking for runaway slaves, and he fabricates a story
about his father on the raft with smallpox. The men fear catching this
disease and instead of rescuing him, they give him money and advise him
not to let it be known of his father''s sickness when seeking help.
These men are not hesitant to hunt slaves, yet they refuse to help a
sick man.

Huck''s acceptance of his love for Jim is shown in chapter thirty-one.
Huck writes a letter to Miss Watson to return Jim, yet he ends up
ripping the letter and wishes to free Jim. "''All right, then, I''ll go
to hell''- and he tore it up." Here, we see that Huck concludes that he
is evil, and that society has been right all along.

Huck doesn?t realize that his goodness comes from within. He doesn?t
become aware that those inner qualities are not paralleled to external
behavior. If Huck was to catch on that he would be eager to change how
society functions instead of running away from it.

Huck acts as a much nobler person when he is not confined by the
hypocrisies of civilization. Throughout the story we see how he
distance himself from society and creates his own world in which he
follows his own feelings of what?s moral and honorable. From the
beginning of the story we see his instinct come into play and how it
affects his decisions throughout the story. He almost always goes his
own way, makes up his own mind, and lives by his own standards.

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