Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884. It is about a boy’s struggle to free himself from slavery and the society of the time. Huck, a rebellious son, escapes Pap, an abusive father, to embark on a journey with Jim, a fugitive slave, who is yearning for freedom up north. Huck, a rebellious boy, escapes from Pap and embarks on a journey along the Mississippi River with Jim, a runaway slave who yearns for freedom in the North. The slaves were treated like property, and not as actual people. Huck’s struggle to reconcile his conscience with society is a civil disobedience example because he does not conform to social expectations. Civil disobedience is the act of disobeying accepted laws and standards. It is important to note that civil disobedience does not mean law-defying crimes based on selfishness. “”…any action of civil disobedience has its roots in an individual’s conscience” (Evans). Civil disobedience refers to “Persons, who disobey law in their country or moral teachings from their culture out of loyalty to a higher kind of law “. Twain used the actions of Huck Finn to illustrate civil disobedience.
Huck’s journey can be dangerous because he is committing a crime when he travels with Jim. Jim was a runaway. To ensure that fugitive slavery was returned to its rightful owners, the Fugitive Slave Act passed. The Fugitive Slave Law created controversy, because “it forced slavery opponents to choose between helping their slaves escape from captivity and remaining obedient”. (Johnson 156) It was punishable with fines and imprisonment or even execution for disobeying the law. It’s clear how the society was before the Civil War. While stealing a horse or cow may have been a crime, helping a slave escape to freedom, feeding him or sheltering him in the middle of his turmoil, his terrors, or despair, as well as not betraying him to the slave-catcher at the first opportunity, were much worse crimes. The harshness of the punishment for helping an escaped slave escape is absurd. Huck finds himself in a world that frowns on showing kindness and compassion to someone whose skin color is different. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia notes “…Mark Twain’s repudiation of the moral blindness displayed by the slave-holding, respectable society.
Pap is a typical example of a prejudiced person in mid-19th century society. Pap wants to take Huck into his custody when he discovers that Huck is wealthy and can be used for alcohol. When Pap gets denied Huck’s custody, he yells, “Call the government! You can see for yourself. It’s the government that’s ready to steal a father’s son- the son he raised all by himself, with all of the worry and anxiety. The law helps old Judge Thatcher to keep me off of my property. Pap does not demonstrate civil disobedience even though he protests the government. He talks to Huck about as if he was his property. Twain makes clear with Pap’s outburst that Pap does not act on the basis of a selfless conscience, but rather pure and blatant self-interest. Unlike Huck Pap lacks the traits of someone who is motivated by selfishness to engage in civil resistance.
Tom Sawyer’s role in freeing Jim is crucial. Tom devises a complicated escape plan. Huck is initially surprised when Tom agrees to help him save Jim. He shouts “I have to admit that Tom Sawyer has dropped in my estimation.” It was only me who couldn’t accept it. Tom Sawyer is a nigger stealer!” (Twain 214). Huck believes that Tom’s cooperation in helping Huck would put them both in danger, and he is right. Tom seems to be genuinely concerned about Jim’s safety at first. However, as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Tom is only in it for the thrill of this adventure. Tom’s desire for adventure was more important than civil disobedience in Tom’s plan to liberate Jim. Huck is left wondering why Tom wanted to free Jim when Jim had already been released. (Twain 276.) Tom replied, “I was looking for adventure” (Twain 275). Tom’s plan was more for his benefit than Huck or Jim, so he is not a true civil disobedient.
Huck acts as the sole civil disobedient character amongst other characters of…Huckleberry Finn. Huck begins to see Jim as no different from other white people. Huck is beginning to understand Jim’s situation as he becomes more familiar with him. Jim has never caused me harm. It was a great insult to Jim’s character. My conscience was arousing me more than ever …”. Huck’s rebellious nature means that he will “break the law to obey what he believes to be a higher, contrary law”, even though he may not realize it (Johnson 123). Huck struggles with whether to help Jim escape slavery or return him to it. He is torn between following his conscience or society’s moral code. Huck feels that helping Jim means damnation as if it were stealing. He says “‘Allright then, I will go hell ‘…. Those were horrible words and thoughts, but they were spoken” (Twain 207). “Huck’s not an irresponsible teenager who has no conscience; he is a man of responsibility.” His friendship with Jim, however, makes him break the law. Huck’s conscience is what makes him do the right thing. We recognize that by not following the “conscience” that society has instilled in Huck, he actually follows a higher type of conscience (Evans). Huck’s willingness to follow his conscience, and the way he did so, proves him to be a model of civil disobedience.
Twain used Huck to demonstrate civil disobedience, where one does not follow the laws of society and instead follows their conscience. According to Evans, a person who is a civil disobedient can be described as someone who has devoted their life to something greater than themselves. This could include God, other people, or an ethical ideal. Huck stands out from the rest of the characters because “his boyhood code rebels” against injustice, hypocrisy, and oppression (Cyclopedia). Huck is different because he rebels against the things he was taught. He listens to himself, even when he feels he is sinful. Huck rises to the occasion and acts with selflessness. This is how he proves that he is a true civil disobedient.
