The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Group

Question:

jeffgarcia
jeffgarcia
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, what are two quotes that show the differences in the morality of Huck and Tom?

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Posted by jeffgarcia on Tuesday February 24, 2009 at 9:02 PM and tagged with characters, huck, morality, quotes, the adventures of huckleberry finn, tom.

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  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The the novel, Huck Finn represents the realism that Mark Twain believed in. Thus, even though he is breaking the law by helping to set Jim free, he is seen as the honest of the two characters. Huck is honest about his conflict about setting Jim free. At one point, he writes a letter to Miss Watson, telling her where to find Jim. But then he tears up the letter and says, "OK, I'll go to hell." Tom, on the other hand, represents the ideals of romanticism which Twain despised. Thus Tom is depicted as a hypocrite and a liar. In the beginning of the novel, Tom forms a gang of thieves and robbers who will rob, steal and plunder, "except on Sunday" when they go to church. At the end of the novel, Tom insists on setting Jim free the way "all the books" tell it. This is both cruel and unrealistic. Tom already knows Jim has been set free and yet he make Jim and Huck follow his silly romantic notions. Thus Huck, even though he thinks he is doing wrong, he is actually doing right. Tom, on the other hand, is convinced his is right, when he is really wrong.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/finn/

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Wednesday February 25, 2009 at 9:07 AM