Abstractly, he does not recognize the contradiction of 'loving thy neighbor' and enforcing slavery at the same time. When Huck is unable to conform to the rules, he accepts that it is his own deficiency, not the rule, that is bad. For example, Huck simply accepts, at face value, the abstract social and religious tenets pressed upon him by Miss Watson until his experiences cause him to make decisions in which his learned values and his natural feelings come in conflict. It is important to note, however, that Huck himself never laughs at the incongruities he describes. Huck's practical and often socially naive views and perceptions provide much of the satirical humor of the novel. His observations are not filled with judgments instead, Huck observes his environment and gives realistic descriptions of the Mississippi River and the culture that dominates the towns that dot its shoreline from Missouri south. Huck is the most important figure in Huck Finn. It is his literal, pragmatic approach to his surroundings and his inner struggle with his conscience that make him one of the most important and recognizable figures in American literature.Īs a coming of age character in the late nineteenth century, Huck views his surroundings with a practical and logical lens.

Tom, after all, had garnered an enormous following from his own tale, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But Twain felt that Tom's romantic personality would not be right for the novel, and so he chose Tom's counterpart, Huckleberry Finn. When determining who should narrate the novel, Twain first considered the popular character, Tom Sawyer.

The adventures of huckleberry finn text