Huck’s Values

Huck Finn matured from a young abused racist teenager to a friendly intelligent young man. His journey with Jim transformed him into a better person. Throughout this journey lying becomes Huck Finn’s religion. He lies when he is under a great deal of pressure and he usually eludes trouble. In the beginning of the book Huck Finn is taught that religion is the most important aspect of his young life. However throughout the book lying becomes the most valuable aspect of Huck Finn’s life.

In the first part of the book Huck is constantly physically and verbally abused by his father. He is kidnapped and taken to a cabin where his father continuously beats him. Huck’s fate is sealed until he tricks his dad into thinking that he was murdered. If Huck were not to do this then he would have been killed by his father. He needed this lie to save his life.

Huck Finn did not pray for survival or turn to god he used his instincts to get out of a bad situation. This lie was a smart one because it freed Huck from his abusive father.

There are numerous occasions in this book where Huck was forced to lie to save Jim’s and his life. If Huck and Jim were caught the consequences of their actions would be severe. Huck did whatever he had to do to survive. When Jim and Huck were with the man on the raft they had to lie Huck had to lie about the small pox or the men would have found Jim. If the men would have found Jim he would have been lynched and Huck would have been beaten for helping a slave. This lie really saved both of their lives. He knew that he needed to lie to protect Jim and his self. He went against his teachings of his early childhood. This lie enabled them to continue their quest to set Jim free.

When Tom was shot Huck also lied to ensure the safety of Tom and Jim. If Huck would have told the doctor what really happened to Tom and Jim he would have told the authorities on Jim. A prayer to God will not heal a bullet wound. Huck had to take some initiative to get Tom the medical attention that he needed. This was a decision between doing what is morally right or doing what is needed to do to survive. Huck made the right decision and thought smart to avoid getting caught. Instead of telling him the truth Huck created a brilliant lie that would protect them both. His lie also got Toms leg repaired so that he could finally walk.

There are many times in this book where Huck has lied to get out of trouble. The times in the book where Huck had to lie show a transformation in his character. He has transformed from a buy whose values stem from religion to an adaptive young man who would take the smart choice over the right choice. This just proves that lying has become Huck Finn’s religion. When he was under pressure lying eliminated the pressure. This was an important aspect of his lie because it helped out the situation that he was in.