While Huck periodically shows flashes of progress from the stagnant and bigoted society into which he was born, his innate attraction and loyalty to the ways of his hometown and in particular Tom Sawyer prevents him from making progress during his adventures. Furthermore, regardless of his own actions, Huck's inability to consistently act independently of Tom reveals that he does not become a more mature or “better” human being, and furthermore becomes a worse person. Huck effectively reveals that although people can identify that an idea is morally wrong, they are often unwilling or unable to actually correct the mistake. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although Huck often shows himself to be unimpressed by the pompous superficiality of the civilized world, represented largely by the feud between the Stephensons and the Grangerfords and the false Duke and Dauphin, he only reluctantly makes active attempts to change what disgusts him. Huck expresses his displeasure at the Duke and Dauphin's cruelty, saying that their fraudulent sign language "was enough to put a body of the human race to shame" (173). Huck recognizes that the two are swindlers as he states that "these liars were no kings nor dukes at all, but only low-grade swindlers and swindlers" (136). Despite knowing for some time that the Duke and the Dauphin were swindlers, the sight of Mary Jane crying in her bedroom is necessary for Huck to act according to his conscience and foil the robberies of the two swindlers. Until basic human compassion comes into play, Huck shows himself to be no different person than the boy who joined Tom's gang, who maintained a casual approach to robbery and murder (18). In general, Huck shys away from conflict: “I never said anything…it's the best way; then you won't have arguments and you won't get into trouble." This concept, however, suggests that Huck values his own comfort and the position of certain people above the well-being of the populace, highlighting that Huck has gained no perspective from his adventures and is nothing more than the instinctive person he was before he ran away. . Likewise, Huck is overly aware of Tom Sawyer's perceived opinions, a loyalty that hinders his ability to make decisions at crucial moments. Furthermore, Huck is often too concerned with his reputation to act decisively, showing that Huck never develops the confidence to act with conviction on his conscience. When Tom reenters Huck's adventure, Huck reverts to the childish behavior he is accustomed to at home, displaying an alarming lack of compassion for Aunt Sally. Having inadvertently made an effort to impress Tom, Huck eagerly tells his story to Aunt Sally: "you can't think half the fun [their mission to free Jim, including the spoon prank] was" (299). Huck treats these real-life actions as nothing more than elements of a game, illustrating his poor understanding of reality. Furthermore, Huck shows a surprising dependence on Tom as he instinctively adheres to his plans, mentioning. “I never said anything, because I didn't expect anything different; but I knew very well that whenever he got his plan, none of them would object” (244). Regardless of the situation, Huck believes that Tom always knows what is best, revealing a surprising lack of individual thought, a clear regression from the independent and effective thinking he displays during his time with the Stephensons and the Grangerfords. Just as Huck is on the brink of.
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