A quote by Shannon L. Alder states, “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck has many moral struggles, of having to follow his heart or to follow the deformed society. This is demonstrated while Twain criticizes the moral degradation in society during the late 1800s, as seen within the novel’s examination of child abuse, slavery, and murder. The main character, Huckleberry Finn’s moral struggles provide a clear message: following one's heart is more important than conforming to a deformed society.
Child abuse had a huge impact on Huck’s moral degradation. As seen when Huck is with his alcoholic father, Pap.…show more content… Although Huck seems to get into a lot of trouble, as he is dishonest at many times throughout the novel his character starts to come out once his moral nature begins to unfold. Huck writes a letter which conscience prompts him to, advising Miss Watson that her slave, Jim, is in Mr. Phelps possession. After writing the letter he says, “I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didn't do it straight off but laid the paper down and set there thinking-thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell”(PG #). This drifts Huck into an occasion of rare moral crisis, where he must choose between violating the entire code of social, religious, conventional behavior which the world has taught him, and betraying the person who needs and loves him most and whom he most loves. After Huck spent plenty of time studying the letter he then said, “Alright, then, I'll go to hell”.(PG #). Huck decided that he is going to protect Jim, so he tore the letter up. He believes that he will go to hell for this, but he doesn't care, because to him he is doing the right thing. Huck has rejected the institution of slavery completely, and with it he rejecting deformed society. In the end, Huck decides to follow his heart by helping his friend, Jim, rather than following the deformed
