morality

What systems of morality influence Huck? Which is the most effective for him? Who is the most moral character? What are Tom's morals? Is Mark Twain satirizing morals?

In the novel by Mark Twain, __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__, the eponymous character, Huck, struggles to do "what is right." His morals become twisted by the influential people around him, such as his capricious, yet amicable friend, Tom Sawyer. Even the respectable elders in this story seem to have a certain disregard for morality as we see it should be today. For instance, the Widow Douglass, who raises Huck to be a proper gentleman, displays the qualities of a hypocrite. Before we even receive a sense of Huck's true morals, we are introduced to Tom's mischievous ways. The morals employed by Tom can be questionable because of his tendency to lie and play tricks. For example, sneaking out of Huck's domicile, Tom and Huck fool Jim into believing that it was a witch that stole Jim and flew him all around the country side. These deleterious habits prompt Huck to make some irresponsible choices. Huck even confesses, "my conscience went to grinding me, and the more wicked... I got to feeling.” (Twain 328) However, as the story progresses, Huck comes to realize that he has no choice but to do what he feels is right deep down inside, even if that means rejecting the beliefs of others. It would seem that Mark Twain is satirizing morals because even the wisest of his characters have trouble adhering to a moral code.
 * Gabby Murphy, Alec Muklewicz, Lacey Sanchez**

Great word choice and sentence structure! Very well thought out and good job using detailed examples from the story. Could you explain on how Widow Douglass is a hypocrite a bit more? Alexa and Connor

A: The Widow Douglass is a hypocrite because she explains to Huck how smoking is wrong and immoral, however, she herself dips snuff; she doesn't live up to her own words. -Gabby Murphy and Alec Muklewicz

Excellent job at using examples from the book to get the point across and you also did it with the use of great details to support your thought. Remember not to use the author's first name next time. Dmitry, James and Chase