Tuesday, September 2, 2014

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, what is the correlation between Huck's adventures on shore and his loss of innocence?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is called a picaresque or rite of passage story.  It is a story about a young boy who grows up through the obstacles and hardships he faces, through the decisions he makes, through the lessons he learns, and through his life experiences.  Huck grows and matures during the novel, and it is seen whenever he goes on shore and learns something new about society or humankind.  Every time Huck goes on shore he changes identity.  He becomes a girl, George Jackson, and eventually takes on the persona of Tom Sawyer.  This change in identity indicates that Huck can’t be his true self when he is with society.  He is only the “true” Huck when he is on the river.  This allows Huck to be a bystander and view and witness the events of the novel.  It also gives him the opportunity to develop and grow his moral values.  Throughout the novel, he learns about people and how their actions affect others.  He learns about the gullibility of people through the King and Duke.  He learns about the devastating effects of honor and pride through the Grangerfords and Shepardsons, and about cowardice of a mob through Colonel Sherburn.  Each time he goes on shore, he learns something new.  The series of lessons he learns and the obstacles he faces throughout the novel cause Huck to lose his innocence and pass from childhood to adulthood. 

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