In Chapter 31 Huck says "It was a close place. I took it up (referring to the note he has just written explaining to Miss Watson where Jim is), and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: 'All right, then, I'll go to hell'--and tore it up."
What does this say about Huck's moral development, and more to the point, what does it say about slave-holding society, that a 13 year-old boy feels he is going to burn in hell, even though he has (at least by modern standards) decided to the right thing by helping Jim go free? Why do you suppose Huck never does get it, that he has done the right thing? What is Twain's purpose in this?
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47 comments:
Patrick Roderick
I think that Twain is trying to expose that we must come to our own moral standards. Huck is on a dangerous crossroads between the morals of Southern Sociey and his own view of right and wrong. The conflict between the two causes this reaction where Huck feels that he his a horrible person but he must still stick to what he thinks is right. If Huck never comes to use his own morals he would be praying a lie which as Huck correctly states you cannot do.
Michelle Oswald
I think this chapter is one of the major turning points in the entire novel. Huck is finally learning that it is more important to follow your heart, or do what you hoenstly feel is right, versus what soceiety sets as the correct stnadards of living. Through this passage, Twain is tyring to show that this is how more of our society should act today. I think he believes that society has contorted was is morally correct, and that man kind, by nature, is right. Becuase Huck followed hsi morals, and decided to help Jim instead of turning him in, the right thing was achieved. Therefore, if more people did that, the world would be a better place.
This scene shows how strong of a person Huck is becomming. Huck has the ability to disregard the social norm and make his decision based solemly off what he believes to be right. However Mark Twain is showing how influencial a society can be on a person's moral values reguardless of it's flaws. Although Huck knows his actions won't be accepted by his peers, he decides to follow through with them regardless. Huck never understands that he has done the right thing because he still has a part of him that badley wants to be a normal person in society. Huck is in the middle of a battle between his heart and his brain.
Gretchen Heine
Amy Zobrisky
Personally i think that mark twain is explaining the diffrent paths they are coming upon during the book. The crossroads.
Kevin Thai
I think Twain is trying to show how much of an influence society has. The ideas of society are engraved in Huck's mind. He has been brought up being taught that slaves are inferior, and he isn't able to see between what is right and wrong.
~~ Kt Broose! ~~
Huck thought it was a bad idea to let Jim go free because Huck was raised to think that white people were always way above blacks. Therefore, Huck was surprised when he realized that Jim and he were really friends. Twain did this to show that society can not define what kind of friends people can have and also because he wanted to show that friendship is more important than the laws of society
Jody Putnam
I think that Mark Twain's purpose for not completely Huck's moral development is to show that the world has not completed the same moral development either. Huck made changes and toward Jim, such as not playing tricks on him and treating him like a person. But Huck didn't completely change his views. Society today hasn't completely changed their views either.
Shelby Gluck
By deciding to not turn in Jim, Huck is realizing Jim's full humanity. He recognizes that Jim is a real person with feeling, not a black slave in the background. Because Huck feels as if he's going to burn in hell for doing this (which is really the right decision), it shows that the society of his time is corrupted. I think that Twain never has Huck fully accept this is because he wants to symbolize that society will never be perfect. He wants to show the neverending flaws of life, try as we might to fix them.
These lines from chapter XXXI mark the moral climax of the novel. This ultimate decision by Huck shows how he is renouncingsoocieties common ethics and making his own conciencious decision.
Adam Krop
p rod is right mark twain does perspect huck in a good way and as tom like the bad influence i agree with pat
Jessie Kamachaitis
I think this chapter is one of the most important ones in the book. Here Huck makes a final decision to be a good friend to Jim. In Huck's society, a white man and black man are not friends, it just doesn't work that way. Black men barely even exist. Hucks decision to help Jim and not care about the consequences shows Huck is really developing morally. When he says, "'All right, then, I'll go to hell.'" one can see that Jim's friendship is much more important to Huck then how his society works. For Huck to feel that he is going to hell for this shows that his society is,one, religious, and two,prejudice. Going against both of those concepts, and helping Jim go free was a BIG step for Huck.
This passage relates to slave-holding society because its talking about Jim. Huck thinks he is doing something wrong by reporting to Miss Watson but at the same time it is the right thing to do because Jim is a runaway slave. This ruins Huck's moral development because he doesn't know what decision to make. He needs to learn to make decisions on his own and decide whats right from wrong. Huck believes that if he lets jim go free, he will burn in hell. "You cant pray a lie" is trying to say that, if u pray that everything will be okay, but you lying to the person, then things wont actually be okay. Huck never does end up understanding what to do because he thinks no matter what decision he makes that it wont be the right thing to do. He doesn't know how to stand up for himself and make his own decisions, so instead of making one decision and staying with it...he stops and just ponders. The purpose of twain doing this is to show that Huck hasn't yet matured.
Sean Guercio
I think that twains trying to say that huck lives by his own ideals and rules. He know that if he were to send the letter he would be praised.... but if he didnt and they found out he would be ostracized. but despite all that he doesnt send it because he gave jim his word. and to him keeping his word is more important
I believe Twain is trying to get the message accross that Society changes people. I suppose Huck will never get this because Society has told him that it is wrong, even though his heart and his mind tell him its truly the right thing, society just told him otherwards. Twains purpose to put this in the novel, I believe, is that to show people that society can still effect us like that today. That even though were doing something wrong, we'll just do it because according to Society its "cooL". So he puts it in here to get accross the message of how much society impacts on what we think or what we do. But in Huck's case, he does do the right thing, for a friend, and to show his love to someone no matter what other people tell him what is going to happen.
JESSE MICHALSKI
Huck has been brought up in a society where slaves are inferior to everyone else. He feels like there is no other truth in society. Basically everyone else thinks it so he will too. Basically Huck is just a boy and he cant step up to changing society. Huck is naive and easily influenced by things around him. He sticks with what he has learned as he was growing up. It can be the same for us even now. We are influenced by things and we also follow the traditions or the standards that we have grown up with.
i agree with you on this point
I think that this scene is one of the most important scenes in the book. In Hucks society, nobody considered slaves as human beings. Many people owned slaves back then, so no one felt that it was wrong. When Huck says he's going to hell for trying to free a slave, it shows how corrupt his society is. All of his life he's been taught that slaves are worth half of a white man, when in modern days people would strongly disagree. I think Twain's trying to imply how messed up society is, and that it will never be perfect.
In this chapter Huck takes a leap forward in his moral development. He finally decides where he stands between southern society and his conscience. Southern society has altered people's decisions between right and wrong. The fact that someone is black or white should not determine their place in society, and Huck finally has realized that.
Mariel Schofield
In this chapter Huck finally sees what a great time he has had with Jim and how many life lessons they've learned together. Even though most society would have forgotten about this to save themselves, Huck cannot forget how much he cares about Jim.
I believe that this is another turning point in the story. Huck finally makes a decision on whether or not to write a letter to Miss.Watson. He decided not to write it. I believe that this shows his moral development because he would rather keep Jim as a friend instead of turning him in.
Huck realizes that society has impacted people's opinions and that he must stick to what he believes.
I agree with everyone so far, Huck is confused between what society holds and what his beliefs hold. Society says that blacks should be slaves, Huck says that blacks are people with feelings and are at the same level as whites. He wants to believe what he thinks, but at this point he doesn't know what is right. Although following society's beliefs is what's best, following your beliefs are even better. Mark Twain is trying to get us to think that believing in what you think is right. He is trying to tell us that it's hard to choose between what's right(believing in what he believes) and what's wrong(keeping Jim as a slave as society wants), so in conclusion, this complicated question was bothering Huck, Huck doesn't know what he should do, Huck doesn't know if he should go along with what society wants or what he wants.
~Morgan Eggink
This is the point in the story where Huck shows that he is capable of making the decision that he believes is the best. It must of took alot of him to say that hed wrather go to hell that do the thing that society said was right.
Twain is trying to show the reader that moral standards are an important part of one's life. And shows that everybody is at different stages of moral development. It is hard for Huck to make decisions about slavery and how he feels about it. Like if he is going to turn in Jim or if he is going to do the right thing in this present day and not turn him in. This part of the booko is really a crossroads between huck and jim.
ni think that twain is trying to say that huck is having a hard dessision to make beteen his friendship with jim. He has to overcome what he has been taught and what is "right" back then. It would be a crossroad in the the ovel.
Twain up to this point in the novel has mocked and played around with the American society. This is his fisrt actual critism. What Huck is doing is first nature to us however to him it's out of this world. Society always has and always will set the standards for society. Wheather we realize it or not. They tell us what to wear and how to act. To wear something that is unpopular would cause you to feel like your going aganist the standards. That is what huck is going through on a more extreme level.He never realizes he is right because no one has ever told him that he is right. Twain is showing us how bad slavery was.It was so wrong that someone could not even free someone without them thinking they were going to hell. That is a verysever predictment that societywas in,and is still recovering from.
This is a turning point in the novel. It shows how Huck has developed as a person in society. Mrs. Watson stated in the beginning of the novel that she was going to help Huck prepare for society and fit in. She would teach him manners and how to be a good person, but Twain shows that her idea of a good person matches what society wants instead of what the right thing to do is. Huck thinks that he will go to hell for helping a slave. By not following what society views as the right thing to do Huck tears up the note and follows his heart. This shows to us that Huck has developed into a good human being.
This chapter is one of the most important chapters in the book. In this chapter, Huck realizes that Jim is his real friend. Huck realizes that he doesn't have to listen to what everyone is saying about slaves and that a slave can be his friend.
I think veronica is dead on!! haha. but seriosly i really do agree with her. Miss watson showed him that you must fit in with everyone, that doing something out of place wasn't exceptable! when he wrote the note he was kinda of playing apart in society, that black men need to be treated as slaves. however, when he realized that this wasnt right, he tore it up. This shows that sometimes doing things that society views as the wrong thing may in fact be right.
This scene shows how much Huck has progressed. He is able to break away from the standards of society and choose to do what he feels is right. Twain is trying to show how strong of a hold society. Therefore, he portrays this in Huck's character by making him never understand that he has done the right thing.
This shows that Huck is still battling with how society has brought him up. The fact that he feels he is going toi hell for helping his friend say alot about the society in which he lived. "NIggers" aren't seen as equals therefor they aren't worth daving. The loyalty to slave owners and white people far surrpasses that of a slaves loyalty in those times. So huck feels as if he is not only gin against a woman who was good to him, but goin against white society as a whole. As far as Huck's moral development goes i think he is finally trying to figure out what he stands for you and finally deciding his loyualty to Jim. I don't think Huck ever understands he has done the right thing becuase his entire life he was led to believe that if you help a slave that you're doing the wrong thing. Again it just shows how much people thought "niggers" and slaves didn't matter as much as white people.
i highly agree with melanie
Twain does this as a lead in that Huck maybe thinking that slavry is wrong.
When Huck rips up the paper, it is symoblizing him sticking up for himself and Jim instead of going along with the rest of society.
You cant Pray on a lie. It is imoral to do that. Huck doesn't even take praying seriously he prayed for fish hooks when they asked him to. As you can tell he isnt very serious about it and will pray on a lie
Huck is again fighting with his conscience. He realizes that he can't pray a lie because lying is a sin and it wouldn't do any good if you're lying to God.This says that he's going against society to help a slave, which was the opposite of what he was taught. He was brought up on the idea of African-Americans being their inferior. So, I think it took a lot of courage for Huck to tear that note up and go against society.
when huck tears up the letter and says .."ok ill go to hell" this says about his moral character that he knows he is going to hell but he believes that helping his friend is the right thing to do.
This scene says a lot about Huck's moral development. I think this is when Huck realizes that Jim is a real friend and a real human being. Before he ripped the letter he was doing what white society wanted him to do. Then he realized that was wrong and didn't want to betray a friend.
Huck never does realize he's done the right thing, though, because his whole life he's been told its the wrong thing. I think Twain's purpose for this is to show how big of an impact white society has on everyone.
i think this part of the book shows how much hucks character has changed. he was brought up in a society that teaches that blacks and whites are not equal, and that blacks do not deserve the same amount of respect as whites do. however, because of the friendship that huck now has with jim, he sees jim as a person instead of just a slave. i think twain wants us to see that huck cares more about jims freedom and happiness, rather than what society would do in his position.
Natalie Hockey
This quote is saying that Huck grew up in a society where concepts and morals were backwards (by our standards today). It is a commentary of the beliefs and values that were etched into the minds of southern youth during this rough time in America's history.
I believe that Huck does not follow through with sending the letter because of the bonds that he has developed with Jim on the raft. No matter what his feelings were towards Jim's escape, he still became close to him through all that the adventures they shared, from the island to the king and the duke. Twain's purpose in portraying Huck as a very torn individual is, in my opinion, a mirror of American society at that time. Although feelings were deeply rooted in pro-slavery politics, it did not prevail in the end, much like Huck did not send his letter.
When Huck says that he will burn because of the fact that he is going to continue to help Jim escape, it is saying a lot about the impact that Society has on even the youngest children. He felt so pressured by the fact that the society thought slavery was ok, that he couldn't come to his own senses and make his own decision about it. He was scared he was really making the wrong decision, but actually wasn't. In terms of Huck's moral developement through this decision, he is really making an effort to do what he thinks would be better. Even though he thinks that helping Jim escape would be a severe enough sin to go to hell for, Huck pushes through and pulls out a side of himself that does what it feels is the better thing to do, even through the pressure of the society around him.
Jessie Kamachaitis
I agree with Gretchen Heine. Twain is demonstrating how society has a really large impact on ones moral standards. Huck has been taught that slavery is okay, and that there is nothing wrong wiht demeaning the African American race. With this, he feels terrible about helping Jim to freedom; he thinks he will go to hell for it. He won't ever be able to understand that he may be doing the right thing.
What veronica said about Ms. Watson is ver intersting, It intersting how a women that was such an important part of him maturing. Turns up to be the person that teaches him how fighting aganist slavery is a sin. It also, just reveals Twain's heart that the people that are placed along your path in this journey are there for a reaso. Twain purposly put Ms. Watso in Huck's path. Just has he has many other charaters. And all the characters that are put in his path caue him to be put in continual predictments.
Huck's thoughts are being influenced by Southern society. For the white side of this, turning Jim in is the right thing to do. But over all i think that the right thing to do is to let him be free because there friends and that would be a major boost for his moral development.
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