ON THE HORNS OF MORAL DILEMMA : HUCKLEBERRY FINN

Transcription

1 52 CHAPTER II ON THE HORNS OF MORAL DILEMMA : HUCKLEBERRY FINN According to Descartes there are two possible sources of knowledge sense and reason. Effective thinking and learning can happen only when both are involved. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in 1884 and it was written as a companion to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the story of a vagrant boy published in Mark Twain s literary career started quite early in his life with his experiences on the river Mississippi and those involving his own village Missouri forming the core. Twain s first story was a humourous one called Jumping Frog (1865) and it marked the beginning of his long journey as a novelist. Most novelists at some point in their career use memories of their past as materials for their fiction. Mark Twain has done so in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As a writer Twain was preoccupied with the question of personal freedom. Huckleberry Finn is considered to have a personal link to the author s life. Professor Lionel Trilling admirably sums up the book s appeal. Certainly one element in the greatness of Huckleberry Finn is that it succeeds first as a boy s book. One can read it at ten and then annually ever after, the each year finds that it is as fresh as the year before, that it has changed only in becoming somewhat larger. To read it young is like planting a tree young each year adds new growth ring of meaning and the book is as little likely a tree to become dull. ( ) Another critic of equal stature H.L. Mencken called it one of the great masterpieces of the world (qtd. in Messent 221). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a picaresque

2 53 novel and the question arises as to how it can be categorized so since its location is mostly the Mississippi. But critics consider the river as road. And Huck being the picaro, undergoes a series of adventures. Trilling states that the novel is typically picaresque. The form of the book is based on the simplest of all novel-forms, the so-called picaresque novel, or novel of the road, which strings its incidents on the line of the hero's travels. But, as Pascal says, Rivers are roads that move, and the movement of the road in its own mysterious life transmutes the primitive simplicity of the form: the road itself is the greatest character in this novel of the road, and the hero's departures from the river and his returns to it form a subtle and significant pattern. The linear simplicity of the picaresque novel is further modified by the story's having a clear dramatic organization; it has a beginning, middle, and an end, and a mounting suspense of interest. ( ) Trilling emphasizes the presence of river as the greatest character and implies that the form has its primitive origins. The journey outward representing the inward journey has been the archetype and such stories are prevalent in all the world cultures. Trilling makes it clear how fundamental an experiential pattern is contained in Twain s novel and by extension in man s attempt to make sense of life. It is a mode not simply designed by writers but one that is probably embedded in our psyche and biology too, as some of the latest trends in literary interpretation would have it. William Faulkner in one of his interviews told that Mark Twain was the first truly American Writer. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a Bildungsroman novel with

3 54 forty three chapters noted for its simplicity and subtlety, directness and complexity that have given the novel its popularity. Novel in Twain s opinion should deal with society. It must not shift its readers to another world. Twain s Huckleberry Finn contains social issues and problems of conscience. Egan says that Twain s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be considered almost a dramatized casebook, a living study in geographic, political and sociological actuality which when taken together yield a supremely fine work of literary art. (73) It is not a romance or legend, not a myth, but a representation of a reality seen in its best aspect. Twain and Huck tell us a story involving incidents and characters that are life like. Huckleberry Finn holds out the hope that human relations, including those crossing racial boundaries, can be arranged consensually by individuals with some degree of moral agency they know right from wrong and can act on that knowledge (Crane 164). Twain s novel is considered a book of morality of love and humanity. Though he humourously states at the beginning of the novel that persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished, (ix) the novel focuses on the moral sensitivity of Huck and demonstrates how a change in one s way of seeing is intertwined with the change in one s way of living. The connection between ways of seeing and ways of living makes possible the moral transformation that characterizes Huck s progressing perception of Jim, as a slave first and then as a friend. This moral conversion is much like the perceptual transformation Ludwig Wittgenstein considers in his discussions of noticing an aspect, in which a shift in what one sees is connected to the background against which the perceptual object is seen and

4 55 to the ways in which one is prepared to respond to it. The novel does not argue as to why we should see Jim as human nor does it narrate Huck s confrontations with moral arguments. But his interactions with Jim make him understand Jim s humanity and friendship which in turn shows the possibility of a moral transformation not determined by rules or philosophical arguments (Crocker 58). The book has three sections narrated by the thirteen year old protagonist Huckleberry Finn. The first section deals with Huck s life with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas and their attempts to civilize Huck. In the second section, Huck runs away and finds himself in the company of a slave, Jim. In the last section, Huck returns to civilization and lives with Tom in Uncle Silas farm. The whole story revolves around Huck from his resisting the influence of civilization in the beginning to his accepting to go with Aunt Sally at the end of the novel. Huckleberry Finn is presented as a person with self-consciousness. Throughout the novel Huck is aware of his own self and his desires, about the evils of the society and often reveals his disgust for the civilized world. Huck, being alone without a family, feels lonely often and mostly he has to struggle within himself with his conscience. Conscience is an important factor in Huck s growth. Conscience can be explained as the ability to participate in the social world by balancing one s needs and desires with those of others ( Huck in order to help Jim has a tough time with his conscience throughout the novel. It is a struggle between Huck s ego (the sense of who he is that results from his being a member of the White society) and his superego (awareness of right and wrong). Moral development, according to Freud, occurs

5 56 where the idea of conscience (in the superego) embodies the internalized dual nature of instincts or drives in clash with a sense of obligation to control those drives by adhering to societal standards. (qtd. in Killen and Smetana 13) Huck s societal conscience, which Twain calls deformed conscience, conflicts with his natural sympathetic nature. But Huck stands by his own morality and helps Jim escape slavery. Huck has emotional stability, self regulation and empathy which make him, in Freudian terms, a person with good ego strength. A person with good ego strength can manage pressures caused by the conflict between id and superego. The novel in spite of receiving negative criticism was soon acclaimed as an American Classic. One of the best compliments comes from none other than Ernest Hemingway. all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.... It s the best book we ve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since. (29) Hemingway gives the novel the status of a pioneering forerunner. He considers it a work that created the American identity. It may be said that Twain s role in American literature is identical to that of Shakespeare s in British Literature. Adventure and moral scrutiny have constituted most of American fiction and it is no tough guess as to where it comes from. In the first chapter of the novel Huck introduces himself with an element of familiarity. The novel is wholly about Huck s mixed response towards and qualms of

6 57 conscience about slavery and the resultant moral development. Huck s perception of Jim as a slave changes to considering him as a human being aspiring to be free, full of love and care for his family and Huck and later loyalty to Tom. As the novel opens we find Huck in Watson s home. He does not like to be civilized and he listens only partly to Miss Watson. The initial chapters clearly establish Huck s dislike of the existing societal rules. Huck is not interested in the teachings of Widow Douglas and Miss Watson and feels lonesome in the Widow s house. Miss Watson s moral and social admonishments leave Huck alienated and isolated. Huck s direct conflict is with books and with the conventional religion which Miss Watson tries to force on him. There exists a contrast between her volubility and Huck s increasing reticence. Under the protection of civilization, Huck s mind is disturbed which prompts him to perceive the external world as his companion. He sees it as a reflection of his own life and mind. The stars was shining, and the leaves rustled in the woods ever so mournful; and I heard an owl, away off, who-whooing about somebody that was dead... and a dog crying about somebody that was going to die... Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave and has to go about that way every night grieving... the house was all as still as death. (4-5) Huck does not romanticize the external world. The novel being an exercise in realism, Huck is shown as a person alive to the dangers and perils of the external world.

7 58 Huck makes an interesting contrast. The external world depicted here is not exactly friendly but there are sights, sounds and movement. It is alive, whereas the house is as still as death. Hence, Huck s decision to light out is a meaningful one. Huck s first call to adventure involves getting away from Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. In fact, it is the unthinking morality and culture offered by Widow Douglas and Miss Watson that has made him averse to civilization. But for the pair s idea of civilizing Huck s adventure will lose its relevance. So, if he moves back to the town he has to suffer education and also chances are there for Pap (Huck s father) to find and murder him for the sake of money. However, Pap does find Huck and abducts him. Using a ruse, Huck makes Pap believe he is dead and escapes. Huck goes away because he desires adventure and in addition it would also help him escape civilization. At this point, Huck is on his way to begin his journey of self discovery. It is only during this journey on the Mississippi river that Huck learns about life. The decision to save Jim is born out of the moral nature of Huck. Huck s mind and heart house moral values. The journey on the river forms the entire novel. There are two stages in the call to adventure getting away from the Widow s house and escaping from Pap. The actual adventure begins only after his escape. His escape symbolizes his separation from society and civilization. Consequent on his escape, Huck finds himself on the river in the company of Jim. Now, Huck must have his adventure which will offer him lessons in living, knowing and making his self. He will earn his education and civilization rather than accepting and receiving the readymade, cornball civilization offered by the society.

8 59 The learning process in Huck is activated by the adventures Huck undergoes in the company of Jim during their journey on the Mississippi river. Accosted by guilt though, Huck never fails to save Jim from being caught. Each time it is an instance of acute moral crisis for Huck as he is equally disturbed about going against the edicts of his society by helping Jim. In every such tussle his innate humanity wins. Huck comes across only fraud and hatred beyond the banks of the river. The first six chapters of the novel present the background of the novel the village life, characters and relationships which creates the central mood. Huck s initial conversations with Widow Douglas clearly show that in him there is a conflict between civilization and freedom. Huck s boyish innocence comes into direct conflict with the so called civilized world. Widow Douglas adopts Huck and she wants to bring him up as a civilized person. But being a child of nature Huck has little interest in it. He is as free as the elements of nature and is naturally disturbed at the mechanical regularity and rigid puritanical discipline that governed Widow Douglas household. Fed up with her civilizing efforts Huck says: The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. (2) Huck is not a person who can abide by rules. Huck is forced to change his natural character. He is dressed up in new starched clothes and is instructed that he eat only after

9 60 the dinner bell. By showing Huck s aversion to all this Twain supports Rousseau s view that civilization corrupts rather than develop people ( Also, Widow Douglas lectures Huck on the importance of prayer. But Huck has not any deep belief in God and prayers. Huck is told to pray for what he wants. Huck does but gets nothing. This makes him decide praying is pointless. Huck also reflects on the Christian concept of helping other people. He becomes a pragmatist in rejecting the Christian view as it offers him no personal advantage in life. Exposed to all these situations Huck feels baffled, sick and lonely. When alone in his room he says: Then I set down in a chair by the window and tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no use. I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead. (4) This shows that received civilization, concept of religion and praying lead only to skepticism. Huck is rational though he allows superstitions to worry him. He is not much attached to Pap or Widow Douglas. The future sufferings of Huck are foreshadowed by various ill omens. After burning the spider in the candle flame Huck is afraid that some disaster may befall him. Huck s responses to ill omens bring out his worries about his future. When Miss Watson describes to Huck heaven and hell, he wants to go to hell. But he does not reveal his thought to Watson because he knows it would annoy her. Huck has the same feeling (going to hell) when he decides to help Jim which is against the societal laws. Huck has no close relationship with his father Pap who is a drunkard and can stoop to the level of killing his own son for the sake of his money. Huck is very much afraid of Pap. He is shocked to see the shoe print with a cross mark and suspects the presence of

10 61 Pap in the town. In order to know whether Pap will find him he seeks the help of Jim. Using his hairball oracle Jim predicts the future of Huck. He tells that there are two angels flying around him one light and the other dark. You gwyne to have considerable trouble in yo life, en considerable joy. Sometimes you gwyne to git hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to git sick; but every time you s gwyne to git well agin. Dey s two gals flyin bout you in yo life. One uv em s light en t other one is dark. One is rich en t other is po. You s gwyne to marry de po one fust en de rich one by en by. You wants to keep way fum de water as much as you kin, en don t run no resk, kase it s down in de bills dat you s gwyne to git hung. (23) Jim does predict right the struggles and conflicts Huck must face. Symbolically, it could refer to the compelling forces within the person of Huck. The conditioning of the white society and an inherent morality are at war within Huck. But in spite of fears and feelings of guilt, Huck always manages to act from his basic, essential humanity. Alert and sensitive to situations, Huck strikes us as a boy of vibrant nature. Huck fights for his own life and not less for the life of Jim. Huck was pushed out of his comfort zone when abducted by Pap. Though averse to the ways of the civilized society, Huck did attempt to adjust to it. But once brought out of that life he decides not to return to Widow Douglas for two reasons first, he cannot get himself to like that life and second he wants to be free from rules and civilized life. Huck feels that he is now free to smoke, be dirty with nothing to do. In the beginning, Huck appears as an innocent boy with Tom as his only companion. Then the inexorable

11 62 forces of life start acting on his destiny. He had to leave Widow Douglas and when cruelly treated by Pap that life too had to be cast aside. The suicide that he stage-manages is a symbolic representation of his final break from society. Huck reaches Jacksons Island though it is not his destination and it is evident that it will serve as a base for his upcoming journey. Huck prefers a freer space and a separate peace and is psychologically ready to take risks rather than compromising for the existing but restricted freedom. The novel at the deepest level explores the possibility of creative independence within the confines of human society and personal freedom. Huck is caught between stern rebuke and enforced social acceptance. Caught on the horns of this dilemma there is nevertheless a strong undercurrent of self-affirmation. Huck is filled with self-recrimination and self-condemnation but he is never self loathing. Huck strives for self identity and freedom. He is a rural boy resisting civilization with extreme moral sense. He takes the highest responsibility of freeing Jim, and in the process takes risks and faces many a testing situation. Huck is caught in the conflict between relieving Jim from slavery and normative behaviour expected of him by his society. Saving a slave was considered then a sin and Huck breaks a social norm by helping Jim. He knows that it is a difficult job but nevertheless decides to help Jim escape. There are situations in the novel where Huck wrestles with his conscience. I was trying to make my mouth say I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that nigger's owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie I found that out. (272)

12 63 Huck is a classic instance of the struggle between the head and the heart. The heart wins and having decided to save Jim, Huck says: And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog. (273) Huck is not only morally sensitive but willing to take positive action on such sentiments. And more, he is willing to take responsibility for his action. Huck undergoes many adventures that help him emerge as a self-reliant and mature person without school and formal education. Huck uses his own logic and knowledge to analyse things rather than blindly following precepts. Huck s journey on the Mississippi is considered an odyssey and pilgrimage having a moral purpose. Huck takes the role of the protector to Jim and saves him in all the life threatening situations encountered on the journey down the Mississippi river. The journey is a life changing experience for Huck leading to his emotional and personal growth with Jim as his conscience keeper. The novel is comical and adventurous but is also a severe criticism against civilization and its traditions. From the latter point of view, Huck can be viewed as embodying the principle of anarchic rebellion. This is hinted at the beginning of the novel itself. I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can t stand it. I been there before. (372) Huck is compassionate towards Jim and considers him very much a part of humanity. Jim is a loyal and dependable friend. Huck freeing Jim is also an advantage to Huck for,

13 64 it is his rebellious act that frees him from civilization and constricted town life. In their freedom run, both Jim and Huck undergo changes. Jim s trust in Huck keeps increasing as the novel progresses. Jim even shares his hopes and desires with Huck. Huck tries to find purpose and identity amidst conflicting moral positions. He initiates the journey in search of his identity and maturity. Life itself is considered a journey full of bonding and experiences which lead to wisdom and understanding. Huck spends much of his time on the Mississippi river where he learns a lot through his experiences with different kinds of people and diverse situations. When Huck runs into the bounty hunters he is forced to make a decision whether he must choose to help Jim or leave him. Fortunately, his will is strong and he fabricates an elaborate lie to prevent Jim from being captured. Being a rural boy, Huck seeks refuge in nature where questions of right and wrong do not arise and what matters is life's beauty rather than societal laws. Huck is in the world of nature except in the beginning of the novel. Being so, his experiences are totally dependent on nature. Jim is the sole companion to Huck on the Mississippi river. In novels of character, childhood memories usually are a source of strength, but Huck has no such memories to cherish. Huck resists being civilized because he finds only cruelty, greed and violence in the civilized society. In fact, the conflict between civilization and natural life is considered to be one of the crucial themes of the novel. The conflict in Huck relates to the ethical question of what is right and what is wrong. Every individual has the right to know the truth and act accordingly. Huck s behaviour and attitude in the opening chapter can be interpreted as what Kohlberg describes as the first stage in moral development simple deference to a superior force or authority. Pre-conventional is the earliest and the

14 65 least mature form of moral reasoning ( It is at this stage of morality that Huck feels that Miss Watson is the rightful owner of Jim. At this stage, Huck does not think about the right and the wrong. In spite of threats and fears faced by him Huck creates his own integrity. His autonomy develops as he learns to sustain his opinion of helping Jim. Huck reaches the final stage of Kohlberg s post-conventional morality as he dares to go against the societal laws to protect human rights. Huck is innately sympathetic and this nature keeps improving. This nature of his can be better understood if we apply Kohlberg s idea of the interconnectedness of justice and sympathy. According to him, our role-taking tendencies and our fundamental sense of justice are deeply interwoven and, as such, are closely related to the experience of sympathy and the desire to resolve conflict (qtd. in Salkind 461). In Huck we come across all these features. He does take roles, deliberate on the right and the wrong, show sympathy and also evince desire to resolve conflict. The influence of adults that Huck meets during his childhood is of crucial importance and they act as essential factors for Huck to emerge as a mature person though he does not approve of their designs on them. His activities and motives have been like those of an adult. Pap indirectly taught him to be self-sufficient, Widow Douglas educated him to become "sivilized" and Jim gave him lessons in humanity. All these aid in making him a Bildungsroman hero a morally educated person. Huck s cognitive development can be interpreted based on Vygotsky s theory. Vygotsky proposed social constructivism theory and he believed that learning and development are a collaborative activity ( Though Huck learns from his elders he mostly allows his own logic and sense of justice to take over in determining what is good and

15 66 what is bad, rather than blindly adopting others ideas. Huck forms ideas about the world and society on his own but his real growth happens during his journey and interaction with Jim, an adult and a kind of father figure. Huck s commonsense and naive literalism combine with his natural perceptiveness to enable him observe the stupidity and hollowness in the so called civilized life. This perceptiveness is the most significant and unique characteristic in Huck. Only in the later chapters of the novel do we find Huck to be a loving and caring friend and protector to Jim. Huck does not believe in God but is afraid of ill omens. Huck joins Tom s gang to rid himself of this fear but there too he is disenchanted. Soon he comes to know that Tom s adventures are fabricated and false. They are just make believes that Huck s conscience inevitably loathes. Though Huck is filled with feelings of loneliness it does not affect his interpersonal skills. He has certain qualities of imagination, sympathy and sensitivity. Huck escapes from Pap by killing a pig and dragging it bleeding to the river so that Pap would think that he was dead which exhibits his imaginative skill and strategic thinking. He plans so well as to leave no scope for suspicion. His disguise as a girl and use of false identity at the Grangerfords show how creatively he wriggles out of difficult situations. He is an adept at cooking up white lies to save his skin. He can also manage affairs effectively for Jim and ensure his safety. Huck has the maturity to see through the mask of the king and the duke and understand their crooked minds. Looking at the way Huck handles difficult situations it can be argued that he has reached what Vygotsky calls the zone of proximal development. He sets out to face the world and emerges a winner with the help of Jim. Vygotsky maintains that at any age the child s potential for understanding and problem solving is not equal to his actual understanding and problem solving ability.

16 67 Potential ability is always greater than actual ability: the zone of proximal development refers to the range of possibilities that exist between the actual and the potential. Structured social interaction or scaffolding and internalization are the processes that gradually allow the potential (for understanding and problem solving) to become the actual (concepts and skills) ( Educational Psychology). The increasing ease with which Huck manages difficult, demanding situations indicates that Huck, in Vygotsky s terms, is narrowing the gap between his potential ability and actual ability. This is achieved by Huck as he excels in interactional space. He is also a gifted empathizer and hence internalisation of others mental states, moods, thoughts etc. comes naturally to him. Huck feels a sense of kinship with nature. Sensitive to the workings of nature he in a way communes with it. Lying on his back in the canoe on the river, he says: The sky looks ever so deep when you lay down on your back in the moonshine; I never knowed it before. And how far a body can hear on the water such nights! (44). Another example is his description of the storm. Huck is at ease in the company of nature and therefore his mind and heart are finally tuned to the natural environment. His eyes never miss the details of nature. He takes lessons from nature and constructs his knowledge about people and life. Nature provides Huck knowledge about the two extreme characteristics of people calmness (calm night) and ferocity (storm). It is only when he is with nature that Huck learns about himself and his inner voice. In fact, Huck acts as a transcendentalist when he is with nature giving much importance to self examination and individualism. He explores the beauty of nature and of the human kind. Many difficult situations await Jim after he leaves Pap. There are lots of hurdles to overcome. Though Huck and Jim want freedom there is a difference in motive. Jim runs away

17 68 to escape slavery but Huck does so to avoid being caught in civilization which for him symbolizes falsity and insincerity. The freedom Jim wants is physical and political whereas Huck seeks the freedom to be himself. He is innocent and possesses an instinctive sense of right and wrong. His code of morality is contradictory to that of the adults. Huck cannot reconcile himself either to the world of Widow Douglas or to the adventurous world of Tom. Once Huck reaches Jackson s Island he feels that it is his own. His attitude is revealed when he says: I was the boss of it; it all belonged to me so to say (50). Away from Pap and Widow Douglas, Huck feels at home amidst nature. During his journey Huck has to assume various disguises to save Jim and himself. Huck had earlier subjected himself to symbolic death to mislead Pap into assuming Huck s death. Though Huck fits the term runaway kid, rarely does he conduct himself as one. Autonomous functioning comes naturally to him as evidenced in his use of disguises to solve the problems encountered. After every disguise we see Huck emerge with a fresh dimension of personality and as a more experienced person. Loyal to Jim, Huck assures that he will not reveal his identity to anyone. This assurance is what instills confidence in Jim. Till the end of the novel Huck keeps his promise he has made to Jim. Well, I did. I said I wouldn't, and I'll stick to it. Honest INJUN, I will. People would call me a low-down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum but that don't make no difference. I ain't a-going to tell, and I ain't a-going back there, anyways. So, now, le's know all about it. (55)

18 69 The blossoming relationship between Huck and Jim during the journey down the Mississippi is the central theme of the novel. Huck and Jim are unaware of the happenings in the town and so Huck decides to go to the town to acquaint himself with the news. Jim advises Huck to go disguised as a girl. Jim also helps him wear the costume they collected from the floating house. He stops at a house where he sees a woman knitting. Since she is new to the town, Huck figures that he can talk to her without being recognized. When the lady inquires Huck he tells her that his name is Sara Williams. Huck enquires about the area. Testing his patience, the woman talks for over an hour about her problems. She finally gets to the news about Jim and Huck and tells him that there is a three hundred dollar bounty for capturing Jim. Apparently, some of the townspeople believe that Jim killed Huck and ran away, while others believe that it was Pap who killed Huck. She adds that she believes Jim is hiding out in Jackson's Island. Huck becomes nervous at hearing this. Conducting himself as a girl is no easy task and Huck falters he is poor in threading the needle, throws a piece of lead at a rat and he claps the laps instead of throwing the knees apart to catch things. The inquisitive lady asks his name again and Huck says it is Sara Mary Williams. Unable to withstand the persistent questioning by the lady, Huck invents a new story. He says he is George Peters an orphan sent to work at a farmer s home. He adds that because of the ill treatment meted out to him, he ran away from that place. In the process he had to steal the clothes of the farmer s daughter. He convinces her that he has come to this town in the hope of finding his uncle who he hopes will help him. The next time we see Huck at his fiction-making best, he is with the Grangerfords. There is a feud between the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons. The Grangerfords first

19 70 suspect Huck to be a person from Sheperdsons side. But when they realize it is not so, they welcome and treat him well. Huck tells the family that he is an orphan named George Jackson from down south and that he arrived at their home after falling off a steamboat. The Grangerfords ask him to stay with them and Huck agrees. The youngest of the Grangerfords, Buck, is near to Huck's age and they soon become good friends. Huck succeeds in convincing them of the fabricated story. Though Huck s disguise as a girl failed earlier he had elicited the information he needed. His skills of imagination come to the fore yet again. Huck demonstrates in this instance the cognitive ability to relate to an earlier experience and use the resultant perception to manage the experience at hand. Emerging victorious in such missions gives Huck confidence in his ability to move down the Mississippi and face difficulties with courage. The second time Huck invents a name for himself, he reminds himself of his earlier mistake and is very careful now. It is only after spending time with Jim, Huck understands the value of being humane. A number of critics claim that Jim is the only adult in the book and the only one who provides a positive example for Huck to follow. When a storm forces a steam boat to ram into their raft both of them dive into the river to save their lives. When Huck comes out almost half dead his first concern is Jim and he makes all possible efforts to find Jim: I sung out for Jim about a dozen times, but I didn't get any answer (120). Since there is no response to his shouts, he assumes Jim dead. After this incident, Huck is left alone for sometime. Jim is alive and soon they are rejoined. The journey continues. It is pertinent to note here the anxiety Huck feels in the absence of Jim, the companion in his experiential

20 71 journey. Huck cannot think of continuing the journey without Jim. Huck s innate humanity is yet again demonstrated by the concern he has for Jim immediately after surfacing from the depth of the river. Half way through the journey, Jim feels happy that they would reach Cairo soon and be free. Jim tells Huck that once he reaches the free state he would earn money to get back his wife and after that both will work hard to get back their children. He adds that if the owner refuses to let free their children he would seek the help of the abolitionists to bring back his children. Though Huck s heart is for Jim going free, he is disturbed by the words of Jim. It most froze me to hear such talk. He wouldn t ever dared to talk such talk in his life before. Just see what a difference it made in him the minute he judged he was about free (112). His duty to the opinion of his society rears again and his mind is filled with fear. Jim has the necessity of reinventing his self by embarking on a search for a new identity. Deprived of the basic human status, he often does not know who or where he is. Say, who is you? Whar is you (6). But Jim has managed to survive depending on his instincts. Both Huck and Jim find partial answers to these questions at the end of the novel. Huck again has an argument with his conscience as thoughts of impropriety of helping Jim escape resurface. Huck is almost convinced now that letting free a nigger is wrong and decides to hand over Jim and the thought makes him feel relieved. Each time Jim mentions he will be free soon, the dilemma returns to Huck who is torn ethically and emotionally. Not sure of his decision to expose Jim, Huck saves Jim again from the men who approach the raft. He avoids a search of the raft by inventing this time a small pox victim. Huck has been the only instrument in Jim s escape. Though caught in conflicting

21 72 thoughts, Huck is able to empathically understand the hopes and fears, goals and plans and desire for freedom in Jim. Helping Jim escape is breaking the law, but turning him in is against the law of his heart. Thus, Huck is trapped in a difficult moral dilemma. Disturbed by Jim s expression of his aspirations Huck has decided to report Jim. My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever, until at last I says to it, Let up on me it ain't too late yet I'll paddle ashore at the first light and tell. (113) Professor Edgar M. Branch explains Huck s condition as the conflict between individual freedom and the restraints imposed by convention and force; or, within Huck's consciousness, the struggle between his intuitive morality and his conventional conscience (188). The ethical conflict here is not one where the right and the wrong can be calculated and thought out. It is rooted in the being of Huck. He is caught between the constructed morality of the society and an organismic, intuitive morality enabled by his internalization of Jim s longing for freedom. Jim, unaware of the conflict in Huck s mind, is so happy and expresses his happiness and gratitude to him: de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim (114). Huck is different from other white men Jim has come across. Jim loves Huck for his lack of malice, goodwill, companionship and concern. Jim begins to trust Huck both as a confidant and as a comrade in their journey towards freedom. Shaking off thoughts of societal obligation, Huck decides to save Jim from being caught. This incident offers us a window onto the mind of Huck whose head and heart have been at war with each other. At the end, Huck picks up the courage to stand by the evolved-inside morality of his. Huck s experience exhorts that each one

22 73 must find morality that is the outcome of one s being. Conformity to conventional morality is no value. Huck exists and adventures into life only to grow more humane and mature in his thoughts. Huck also exhibits attributes of self-efficacy. Daniel W. Cox quotes Albert Bandura s definition of self-efficacy: an individual s belief in their ability to accomplish certain goals. This belief stems from various sources and is domain specific, meaning that a person has efficacy beliefs regarding a specific task in a given situation and does not necessarily generalize those efficacy beliefs to other situations. Self-efficacy develops in people throughout their lives, and their past situations influence their current and future efficacy beliefs (157). Belief in the ability to accomplish goals is abundant in Huck as evidenced by the success of his stratagems in many situations. Huck has context-sensitivity which allows him to reject conventional morality and save Jim. It should also be seen that Huck s decisions are the outcome of both conscious deliberation and intuitive assessment. We run into the humanity of Huck again while he stays with the Grangerfords. He comes to know about the feud between the two families. Huck finds that both the families carry guns when they go to pray at the church where brotherly love is preached. Huck immediately understands the irony and incongruity of this situation. Huck and Jim get separated in the feud between the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons. Huck exclaims on being reunited with Jim: It was Jim s voice nothing ever sounded so good before (147). Huck delights in the voice of friendship and trust. Jim s voice has given hope and relief to Huck. It also shows how accustomed Huck has grown to Jim s presence and the mentoring role played by the latter in the experiential development of the former. During his stay with the Grangerfords Huck grows very fond of Buck. As with Jim, Huck develops emotional ties with Buck whose death comes as a rude shock.

23 74 When I got down out of the tree, I crept along down the river bank a piece, and found the two bodies laying in the edge of the water, and tugged at them till I got them ashore; then I covered up their faces and got away as quick as I could. I cried a little when I was covering up Buck s face, for he was mighty good to me. (147) The senseless killing indulged in by the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons prompt Huck question the so called civilized ways that have only perpetuated a feud. It is certain misplaced notions of honour that have been responsible for the death of someone wonderful like Buck. Huck is upset and annoyed in a profound sense at the meaningless waste caused by ideas of civilization. As a result of this incident, Huck s mind takes a philosophical turn. Huck is faced with the moral predicament of slavery throughout the novel. This theme runs through the novel. Torn between his obligation to his society and his innate conscience, Huck is morally so confused that he almost turns Jim in during their journey on the river. Huck checks himself in time. But in the end, Jim is captured and Huck decides to free Jim by helping him break out of the confinement. In a sense, Huck passes his supreme test by doing what he feels is morally right. Huck understands Jim s emotions and tries to help him accomplish his goal. This quality of Huck makes him and Jim better companions. [T]o see things from the other person s point of view (Carnegie 175) and to talk in terms of the other person s interests (ibid 98) are the essential attributes of a developing person. Epley and Waytz cite Brewer, (1979), Byrne, (1971), Tajfel, (1981) to prove how an increase in shared interests increases social connection and liking. They also refer to the findings of Galinsky, Ku, & Wang, (2005), Sinclair, Huntsinger, Skorinko, &

24 75 Hardin, (2005) who maintain that considering another s goals, intentions, emotions, and beliefs can lead people to identify those who are likely to be good targets for affiliation and to tune their behavior so that it is consistent with a target s presumed beliefs to increase similarity and connection ( ). All these qualities are seen in Huck. His ability to perceive another s mind improves his social and interpersonal relationships. Using his perceptiveness Huck eliminates the gap between the self and the other, a feat not possible for the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons supposed to be representatives of civilization. Another episode which brings out Huck s innate moral sense is where he helps Peter Wilks daughters get back their property from the king and the duke. Aware of the plan of the crooks, Huck recovers the money from them and keeps it in the coffin of Peter Wilks. Huck decides to reveal this to the elder sister Mary Jane but here again he faces a dilemma. Though the crooks deserve to be caught, Huck feels that it would be like betraying them. Disclosure of the truth will result in them getting caught. It is significant that Huck s immediate response is compassionate rather than ethically appropriate. But he chooses the right thing and decides to reveal the truth as it would benefit the blacks as well. This incident marks further development in Huck as it shows his reflective thinking skills in the moral domain. There is also a twist here. He has till this point managed situations and solved problems with his fabricated white lies. But this time he does so by telling the truth. I see I had spoke too sudden and said too much, and was in a close place. I asked her to let me think a minute; and she set there, very impatient and excited and handsome, but looking kind of happy and eased up, like a person that's had a tooth pulled out. So I went to studying it out. I says to myself, I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight

25 76 place is taking considerable many resks, though I ain't had no experience, and can't say for certain; but it looks so to me, anyway; and yet here's a case where I'm blest if it don't look to me like the truth is better and actuly SAFER than a lie. I must lay it by in my mind, and think it over some time or other, it's so kind of strange and unregular. I never see nothing like it. Well, I says to myself at last, I'm a-going to chance it; I'll up and tell the truth this time, though it does seem most like setting down on a kag of powder and touching it off just to see where you'll go to. (238) Huck himself accepts that lies have been better options so far to extricate himself from tight situations. He has not had any reservation or apprehension about lying in earlier instances. Initially, out of compassion for the king and the duke, Huck thinks of handling the situation in his usual manner. But his sensitivity to context and cognitive alertness enable him to read the situation and take an appropriate decision. It should also be noted that in making decisions Huck brings both his head and heart to have a bearing. We also can see Huck s altruistic nature for, he tells the truth to Jane at a risk to his life. The fraudulent duo are dangerous and vindictive too. Huck helps the sisters for their kindness. This incident marks further maturity in Huck. This is yet another instance where Huck acts according to his heart-led conscience. It is known later that Jim has been sold to the Phelps by the king. Huck somehow wants to save Jim from getting into slavery again. First Huck thinks of making Miss Watson aware of the presence of Jim. But the reflective thinker that he has become, he prospects the consequences. In such an event, both Huck and Jim will be subject to negative reputation and no one will trust them. Huck will be ostracized for aiding the get-away of a nigger

26 77 and condemned for breaking a social norm. Jim will be charged with breaking the law and ingratitude. Weighing the options, Huck drops the idea. Huck is visited by the earlier reservations about helping a slave. The conflict between social norms and individual consciousness reemerges. I most dropped in my tracks I was so scared. Well, I tried the best I could to kinder soften it up somehow for myself by saying I was brung up wicked, and so I warn't so much to blame; but something inside of me kept saying, There was the Sunday-school, you could a gone to it; and if you'd a done it they'd a learnt you there that people that acts as I'd been acting about that nigger goes to everlasting fire. (270) Huck must undergo the crisis to recover his resolve to help Jim. Intuitive conviction recedes and boy fears return. Huck has been skeptical about God from the beginning. Miss Watson s exhortations only made him tired of praying. He had no use for a God who did not give material gifts. Widow Douglas promise of spiritual gifts (14) did not interest him. But reminded of Widow Douglas teachings Huck is now frightened that God is watching all his activities and will punish him. So, he resolves to pray for forgiveness but he cannot do it. Then he decides to write a letter to Miss Watson and pray thereafter. The letter is written and before starting to pray he rethinks about the letter. He tries to pray again, but cannot as his innate conscience intervenes. He has been the one who has saved Jim in all the difficult situations when they travelled down the river. Huck realizes the goodness of the original motive to help Jim whose love for him is genuine and true. He also thinks of the feelings of gratitude

27 78 that Jim entertains towards Huck. Intuitive morality takes over and Huck tears the letter and decides to save Jim come what may. He is even ready to go to hell for the sake of his own sense of right which is conflicting with the norms of society. This is a moment when Huck finally resolves his great moral and emotional struggle. Huck s declaration that he would even go to hell in order to set Jim free is an example of a moral imperative emerging from friendship (Crane 158). As long as Huck and Jim remain on the raft, separated from a political and social context animated by racism and power, their connection can be governed by an interracial moral consensus rather than force. In Huck s case, moral inspiration does not come in the form of the clear cut obligations arising from social convention or divine instruction, but rather emerges from reflection, internal debate, and conversation. ( It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a- trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: "All right, then, I'll GO to hell" and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head, and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. (273) This passage is an instance of intrapersonal interaction and communication. The conversation Huck has with himself also underlines the growing perceptival process in him.

28 79 Huck who has been compassionate and skeptical in the beginning now shows signs of maturity. He has developed the talent to balance his instinctive suspicion of human motives with his capacity for pity. Confronted with an option between following his emotions and acting according to his rational mind, Huck goes for a synthesis he takes a rational decision assisted by his emotions. This announces Huck s victory in his moral struggle and marks the moment of ripening of his self-knowledge. Innate goodness has triumphed over the internalized mores of civilization. Huck s developmental journey supports the view that emotions are an important source for perception and cognition. In fact, they are considered the basis for rational thoughts and actions. Emotions, Aristotle believes, while sometimes leading to blindness, are more commonly modes of perception. Emotional openness channels attention and empowers recognition and response. Fear, grief, and love embody deeply rooted convictions about what has importance, and these passions help us see and act responsively. Moral blindness, for Aristotle, is more often caused by excessive theorizing than by excess of passion. (Nussbaum 167) As the novel proceeds we see Huck getting sure of what he is doing. This is revealed in his conversation with Tom. When Tom looks down upon him for helping a nigger Huck reacts with fierce assertion. I know what you'll say. You'll say it's dirty, low-down business; but what if it is? I'm low down; and I'm a-going to steal him, and I want you keep mum and not let on. (288)