By the end of the book, Huck had grown tremendously as a character, learning new things about life and the people who live it. Throughout his adventures on the river and the tremendous game he played on land with Tom, one interest was always kept in mind Š the freeing of Jim. This led to a very important lesson which Huck eventually learned and began to live his life by. In the end, though he ended up in the fairly same situation as when he started, taken in and taught by rules, I feel he was no longer the same person as before, but instead a more open-minded and accepting human being.
One of the first questions I asked myself after finishing the book was whether or not Huck had gained anything from his trip. In other words, was it even worth him to leave in the first place? The answer I came up with was, most definitely, for Jim found out that color doesnÕt matter and everyone deserves the same rights. After all, now, when Huck sees Jim, itÕs not his dark color that stands out, but his personality. He recognizes Jim as having the same privileges as others and being of equal quality. No longer is he just a slave. This is a great step forward for Huck, especially when compared to the attitudes of the rest of society. For even though it took fighting with his conscious for quite some time, eventually his and JimÕs friendship just couldnÕt compare and exceeded all beliefs of slavery. They developed a special bondage where no matter what, they would always help each other out. The saying, "IÕll always be there for you," seemed to take on a new meaning. It truly was an amazing growth and created HuckÕs new outlook on all people.
The trip also helped Huck to grow inside and discover more about who he was. All of the adventures he took on and made through proved to him what he could do. No longer were his accomplishments just being able to withstand authority for a day, but instead he was actually helping people in whatever ways possible. No matter how bad the person, Huck always tried to do something to help, as he showed when he tried to save the murderers and robbersÕ lives by notifying a man of their shipÕs whereabouts. He also provided his raft for the duke and king when they were in need of a getaway, even though they later proved to be scumbags and hustlers. Even more, Huck eventually prevented the taking of all the daughtersÕ money by informing them of the situation. So as you see, even though Huck at times questioned his morality, everything he did was in the interest of good. By seeing this, it is quite obvious he accomplished much and grew because of it.
In the end, the lessons taught to Huck were also taught to us, as the reader, for we incorporated everything through HuckÕs eyes. For this reason, I think Mark Twain had many purposes for writing this book. Through his writing, he made us realize how good a man Jim was even though his skin was not the same shade as others. This led to the idea that everyone is equal and worthy of a free life. Color makes no difference in the quality of a human being. At the time this book was written, that idea meant everything. Another purpose for the book, I thought, was to show that society has flaws. Every instance written of that Huck ran into involved murderers, robbers, hustlers, abusers, and overall, bad people. This made me conceive that Twain was trying to prove that life was not all dandy, but things could be done to change that. There may be corrupt people, but the good could always overcome. Lastly, I think Twain taught the reader that life is short, so live it to the fullest. This is what Huck and Tom did throughout the whole story, and they seemed to have more fun than anyone else. Maybe that is TwainÕs secret to life, to live it in the way where no matter what society says, you as a person will have no regrets. These messages altogether, in my opinion, make this book worthy of all it is.
Overall, I enjoyed reading of HuckÕs search for self and am glad he discovered the truth about all people, no matter what race. Mark Twain truly taught the reader about life, and I know I will take much of what I learned with me when I depart for my own "adventure."