Welcome to Phase 2 of distance learning!
Dust off that copy of Huck Finn and read (maybe reread?) Chapter 31 (XXXI). This chapter contains Huck’s famous “crisis of conscience” and is the climax of the novel. Post a question, comment, or connection you have about the chapter.
What do you think of the choice Huck has to make. Turn his back on his own morals? Or turn his back on his society in order to save Jim?
ReplyDeleteHuck has previously felt the clash between the morality of the Southern slave holding culture he has grown up with and the morality of his friendship with Jim. He had vowed to always do what would make him feel right at the end of the day, regardless of that course of action's objective leaning toward right or wrong. In chapter 31, we once again see Huck following through on that promise. Despite his objections to betraying Jim's trust, he turns to his culturally-steeped view of personal morality. He uses the logic of Jim as subhuman and unable to find contentment in his life as a rationale for turning him back to his owner. Ultimately, however, Huck cannot stomach the feeling of guilt and being a traitor that weighs on his conscience, and commits to helping Jim, what Twain intends the reader to view as the morally correct path, in contrast to what Huck has been taught.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 31, we once again see Huck struggling between his heart and his mind. Society has told him that helping a slave escape is immoral and wrong while in his heart he feels as if leaving Jim is betraying the friendship that they have cultivated this far. While Huck did make the correct decision in the end, I feel like it is concerning how Huck at first is set on leaving Jim in fear of tarnishing his own image.
ReplyDeleteChapter 31 is an important chapter in terms of Huck's consciousness and thinking. We see him finally make the decision to go against the norms of societal thinking and fully commit to saving Jim. He now looks past the label of "slave" and sees Jim as a fellow brother. He would rather go to society's hell than follow their values. This decision represents Huck's realization that he is now fully separate from the world around him.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that Huck makes his decision while on land, not while on the raft. In the past, when he’s not on the raft, he follows society and his head rather than his heart. By putting him on land, Twain emphasizes all that Huck has overcome in his rejection of society and just how much he’s changed.
ReplyDeleteI think this decision serves as a good marker of Huck's moral development. However, I found some of Huck's thoughts interesting. Despite the fact that Huck realizes that Jim is his friend and he must help him, Huck still believes in certain social constructs and God's role in them. He believes that helping Jim escape was a sin and God is punishing him for this. This goes to show how social norms are hard to fully distance oneself from even after a lot of development.
ReplyDeleteI was really intrigued by the role of religion in his process. I cant remember if he believes in god but he was in disbelief when he heard the religious teachings of Widow Dougla. However, he half heartedly believes in Jim's superstitions. I have come to think that the role of religion in his choice was meant to be ironic by twain. After all, why would an atheist care about going to hell.
DeleteAs Huck's morality moves farther away from conventional and towards post-conventional, showing signs that he is able to make the decision to save Jim on his own terms although he understands that it is against what society agrees with. It seems like at this point the ambiguity of the conflict between society and individual and right and wrong is starting to resolve for Huck with this decision.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, we finally see Huck maturing. He is able to see past what society has taught him and make decisions for himself. After Jim is captured and sold, Huck faces a serious dilemma. Does he do what Christian society has taught him or does he do what he feels is the right thing to do? Huck finally decides that he will “‘go to hell’” in order to “steal Jim out of slavery”. At the end of the day, Huck realizes that Jim has been nothing but nice to him and therefore he has done nothing to warrant being returned to Miss Watson. Will Huck be able to stay firm in his choices?
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is interesting, as we get to see Huck's thought process, as he is deciding what to do about Jim. In this chapter Huck writes a letter to Mrs. Watson and tells her the location of Jim, and he feels momentary relief because he is doing what society deems to be right. However after he remembers the journey he had with Jim, he decided that their friendship is more important. The whole novel has been about Huck's struggle between wether he should conform to society or follow his own conscience. This decision that he makes is a major development for his character.
ReplyDeleteI think this chapter is an important moral milestone for Huck. Despite fear of being shunned for helping Jim, Huck proclaims “All right, then I’ll go to hell” marks the climax of the novel, and shows Huck’s moral growth throughout the novel to this point.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 31 Huck finally comes to a clear understanding of what is good and bad, something he has struggled with the whole book. By deciding to free Jim we see he has finally decided doing what is best for good people is what is right to do, not to just follow whoever society tells him to. Will Huck ever try to turn in/ ruin the duke and king’s act for good?
ReplyDeleteHuck is able to look back on his time as Jim's friends instead of what society says about slaves in order to make his decisions to help him. He even believes that there will be punishments "All right then, I'll go to hell." but makes up his mind to help his friend despite what society thinks.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this chapter was very interesting because we once again get to see Huck’s conscience working. He initially wants to write to miss Watson and tell her Jim’s location but realizes that would mean his friend would definitely be sold back into slavery. He wants Jim to free and wants to find him again. I thought that this was very interesting
ReplyDeleteMary-Clare
This is a key chapter for readers to see Huck’s maturity grow, as he faces a life-changing decision. Huck finally breaks apart from the conmen and this allows him to contemplate if he should save Jim or leave this situation completely (white society). Finally, Huck decides that his friendship with Jim is more important than what white society thinks of him and goes off to free Jim, even if that means “going to hell”.
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ReplyDeleteConsidering Huck’s climactic decision in chapter 31, Huck's entire narrative expresses a search for his own morals and identity, and this identity is formed by his attempt to make moral judgments despite the pressures of his surrounding religious and societal principles.
ReplyDeleteI could see why this chapter is seen as the climax because throughout the novel, Huck struggles to transcend societies expectations. This changes when Huck chooses to save Jim and put his morals above those of society's.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting chapter, because although Huck has gone back and forth between the “morals” he was taught and the ones he actually believes, he has never resolved to take any action before. This pivotal stage in his moral development shows that questioning moral wrongdoings is worth nothing until he chooses to act on his real beliefs. It’s also interesting that Huck’s moral choice to help Jim get to freedom is so tied to their escape from the duke and king. It’s as if Huck had to experience wanting to be free from the two conmen in order to see that he should morally help Jim be free too.
ReplyDeleteI believe that he does take action; HE does not report Jim in the first place and consistently protects him
DeleteThis is a really interesting chapter and shows how much Huck struggles when faced with this situation. His upbringing and has taught him not to befriend or aide slaves but as his character develops he learns that his morales and friendship are more important than society’s expectations.
ReplyDeleteI think this relates to the type of questioning and decision making that we have talked about in class. Huck either has to choose societal norms or his own morals in order to decide Jim’s future.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book, Huck is split from society as he stops adhering to it by removing his thoughts of god and creating a bond with Jim. Yet, when he seems to be the farthest from society, he thinks about the situation he is in and goes back to adhering to society and praying.
ReplyDeleteRaphael Thesmar
DeleteIn chapter 31, I find it very powerful how Huck’s love for Jim didn’t make him feel guilty anymore about “helping a slave” because it shows his maturity growth throughout the book and how he wants to do the right thing. Within his own conscious he knows what the right thing and it’s to help is friend Jim.
ReplyDelete-Preston Jackson-Stephens
I found this chapter really interesting, because we've been getting to see Huck's moral compass grow and mature throughout this novel, and we finally get this moment of significant growth. This chapter really highlights his moral development, because he is less worried about societal pressures and expectations, and instead makes a decision based on what he feels is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Huck feels that the society he currently lives in would be worse than hell proves the society has major belief issues. Huck realizes that Jim’s life is equal to his own life and trusts his own instincts despite society telling him he is superior due to his skin color. Huck’s development is shown when he sees that Jim deserves the same freedom that he has and is willing to make selfless sacrifices to fight for Jim.
ReplyDeleteThe events in this chapter demonstrate how Huck is now willing to set aside societal norms and values in order to do what he believes to be morally right. I thought it was interesting how while freeing someone from slavery would be considered morally correct in today’s world, it was considered sinful, which indicates how greatly race affected southern values.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to see Huck confront his morals and decide whether he should be a good friend and find Jim or leave him to slavery. As he reflects on his time with Jim, Huck thinks about their friendship and ultimately makes the choice to go and try to “steal Jim out of slavery again”(214). I wonder what would happen if Huck found the Duke and King and how he would act if he did? What kind of action would he take and would his morals have any affect on his actions?
ReplyDeleteIn this climactic chapter, Huck decides to follow the unconventional morality that he had to fight society to come to. Maybe Huck represents a progressing United States and Twain's predictions about the collective conscience of the country, because while Huck ultimately decides to reject allowing Jim to be trapped by slavery (analogous to how America ultimately abolishes slavery), he was still very close to following the prescribed view, which is analogous to the legacy of slavery having impacts beyond slavery's abolition, because while the practice was abolished, the lingering beliefs of previous generations affected generations well after abolition.
ReplyDelete-Jona Lehmann
(Evan Bak) The chapter shows Huck's moral development and how his beliefs have changed as a result of his experiences. The actions of the Duke and Dauphin have made Huck see that their actions as con men are truly evil. After he finds out that the Dauphin sold Jim, he has his next big moral change. He feels guilty about helping a slave escape, but after thinking about how good of a friend Jim has been to him, he decides that he doesn't regret his actions and will try to free Jim again. Huck has learned from his experiences and has become a better person. His surroundings and southern culture had taught him a certain set of beliefs, but his beliefs changed as he found his moral compass. He went from praying because he felt guilty about helping a slave, to declaring he would "go to hell" if it meant helping Jim escape.
ReplyDeleteHuck recognizes his true emotions and desires in this chapter, and he prioritizes them before societys standards. He feels empowered to go against societal expectations because of his friendship with Jim. It marks his diverging path, in earlier chapters, he complained about the Widows inauthenticity towards religion. Instead of following in her footsteps, he decides to be true to himself.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s interesting to observe Huck’s shift in beliefs. It shows the reader how easily white children could be brainwashed into believing that people of “color” were in some way inferior during the time of slavery. He did not truly believe this, but was never given the chance to form his own opinion until taking a step back from society. This resulted in an previously unlikely, but friendly bond with Jim. Now that he has met Jim and gained the ability to make his own decisions on his views, he wants to fight to release Jim from slavery. Just a short while earlier he was not far from turning Jim in to the men on the river, but now he doesn’t even think twice about setting out to find Jim.
ReplyDeleteAfter spending a lot of time with Jim, Huck has finally begun to see Jim as an equal to himself and a friend. This prompts Huck to place his moral values above society's values. Huck believes that Jim is worth fighting for and deserves freedom, even if society doesn't agree. This chapter demonstrates the importance of viewing others as equals.
ReplyDeletebarrett pettine - throughout the entire novel huck instinctively protects jim and his conscience debates the issue later. His instincts are his human nature. The debate within him is nurture. Ultimately, human nature wins, and he decides to help Jim (why... I dont know, In my mind it is because they are close but the thought of human slavery wrong and I believe that this is why Huck helped Jim in the first place) with his justification being 'in for a penny in for a pound'. I dont believe this to be true. I think Huck simply decides that his instincts are truly moral.
ReplyDeleteRevision - *part* of his justification for his decision was 'in for a penny, in for a pound'
DeleteIt is interesting to see how Huck is able to understand his emotions as the novel concludes. Additionally the reader is able to identify Huck's development with Jim and the sacrifices they make for each other.
ReplyDelete-- Jack Hayes
I think that this chapter really added to the novel’s focus on truth/lies. Throughout the book, Huck is found telling all sorts of lies, some for a good laugh and some to protect himself and Jim. This chapter seems to demonstrate that at the same time, Huck has been lying to himself about having accepted the morals he was taught growing up; though he hasn’t acted accordingly, he still seems to have felt obligated to them. Here, Huck finally confronts this conflict in belief he’s been having the whole book and makes a decision.
ReplyDeleteKiwa Shinoda: It was interesting to see Huck's thought process as he was deciding how he would affect Jim's fate. At first, Huck's thoughts demonstrated to the reader how he had been infiltrated by the racist southern mindset because he believed that Miss Watson was the rightful owner of Jim. However, as he looked back at his memories with Jim and examined their relationship, the reader can see how Huck learned to view Jim as a valued individual. This change occurred because Jim treated Huck better than anyone else in his life had. By examining how Jim had cared for him, Huck learned to be empathetic and to care for others. This change in his perspective of Jim is a clear example of Huck's moral development.
ReplyDeleteSeiyoung Jang: When Huck believes his dilemma involving Jim is a punishment from God for him helping an escaped slave, he prays for forgiveness yet is unable to because he morally does not agree with the thought. This instances is one of the best examples of the novel's contrast of what society values and what an individual values. Huck has clearly adopted Miss Watson's teachings on religion and society's views on slaves, yet he has the independence to follow what he believes to be correct. Huck deciding to follow through with what he has come to believe even if he is condemned for it is powerful because the novel has been building up to it.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is critical to Huck's character development. He is recognizing the difference between society's thoughts and his own, which is demonstrated when he decides that to help Jim. It shows how he can appreciate the kindness and value that Jim has treated with, seperate that from the views pressed on him by society, and treat him as an equal.
ReplyDeleteAs many others have already mentioned, this chapter shows a big step in Huck's moral development as he is now officially detached from society's rules and tolerance for slavery. I also find it interesting how in chapter 1 Huck says he would like to go to hell only because he is bored, whereas now he says he will want to go to hell because he is helping Jim, which he believes is the real right thing (not society's definition of "right", so heaven becomes the new bad place and hell becomes the not-bad place).
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that society has forced Huck to think that helping a slave escape from captures should warrant him going to hell, when in fact that should be an act looked upon with bravery and the opposite effect of a heavenly act. However, Huck's deformed conscience due to southern slavery has made him second guess the morality of helping a slave escape. Although he inevitably supports his own feelings towards Jim, he very narrowly avoided falling off the deep end.
ReplyDelete-Cameron Gurwell
Zoe Rigoulot : I think that it was very interesting to see Huck finally act upon "his heart", to decide to go save Jim regarless of what people may think, and finally decides to get rid of bothe the duke and the king.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think huck goes and prays even though his views on it have been shown through the novel that he doesn’t care about it? Does him wanting to be good over rule tis beliefs?
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ReplyDeleteI found this chapter extremely interesting as it was critical to demonstrating Huck's character development. Initially, Huck's thoughts about Jim are molded by the racist southern attitude (deformed conscience), and he second guesses the morality of helping a slave. However, after realizing that he's wrong for thinking these things, Huck was able to appreciate the kindness that Jim has treated him with, and is able to recognize that Jim should be treated as an equal.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is the most exiting one so far in my opinion as it emphasizes Hucks moral development and takes one step further. He decides that he would rather subvert all societal values and do what others think bad than do what society endorses and betray the inclinations of his own heart. Huck thinks that betraying the humanity of good people like Jim is a worse fate than being condemned to hell. This is really interesting and honestly I’m wondering if the author actually met a person at that time who wasn’t racist.
ReplyDeleteI think that this chapter is very pivotal for Huck and the development of his character. It shows the evolvement of how Huck used to perceive Jim based off of how society made him view slaves and how he now sees Jim as an individual and treats him based off of how he was treated by Jim.
ReplyDeleteWhen talking about the Spanish moss they see while walking they compare it to "long, grey beards" This is a comparison I would've never thought to see. While reading "Spanish moss" Ive never seen that before, so it provided helpful imagery while reading.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the chapter, it is evident to see the tremendous growth that Huck has undergone since the beginning of the novel. Here, we see for possibly the first time Huck realizing that his morals may not line up with society's, or more importantly, that society's rules may not be all that moral or right themselves. I found it interesting how Huck contemplated God and going to hell during this moral dilema as he had previously showed distain for God and being forced to go to Sunday School. This demonstrates how not only his conscience has developed, but also his maturity.
ReplyDeleteOverall, it’s clear that Huck Finn’s character development shows emphatic qualities, especially considering his environment and time period. On page 214, Huck Finn declares that he’ll steal Jim out of slavery. I found this ironic and interesting because slaves are usually stole from their lives, yet Huck is stealing Jim to liberate him.
ReplyDelete“Then I set down and cried; I couldn’t help it”(210). Huck has obviously seen character development to this point and his relationship with Jim helps show this. The selfish kid we knew at the beginning of the story is more or less gone and now we have a compassionate young man in his place willing to put himself on the line to help his friend.
ReplyDeleteClearly this point in the story is supposed to show moral contrast with chapter 16, the first time Huck Finn has the opportunity to turn Jim in as a runaway. Twain attempts to show his moral growth through his active choice to help Jim and potentially get himself in trouble along the way, as opposed to his relatively passive decision in chapter 16 to lie to the men in the boat and keep things calm with him and Jim. I would argue that while they do show some progress, his actions in chapter 31 still reveal a relatively underdeveloped moral framework. He resolves to help Jim, but in the process he almost writes a letter to his previous owner Ms Watson telling her his whereabouts, and assumes that he'll "go to hell" for helping Jim. This could be read as a step up in his morals since chapter 16 because he doesn't feel as uneasy about helping Jim anymore, but to me it seems like he's grown close with Jim and is still working against his conscience to save his friend. He has a "fake it till you make it" approach to morality which seems to be working for him, but I'd argue he needs to confront the gap between societal morality and his own before he can truly grow as a person.
ReplyDeleteI think Huck does overall the right things for the wrong reasons in this chapter. His thinking of whether to free Jim or not depends purely on how God will view him, ultimately deciding to go help Jim in spite of punishment from God rather than because of his connection with Jim.
ReplyDeleteOliver
DeleteI'm going to disagree here with you, Huck chooses to get punished by God after he realises that he is the only person that Jim can depend on, that he is"the only one [friend] he's got now", and that it's Huck's responsibility, duty even, to save him, and that no almighty power will save him. Interesting is also that in a later chapter, Huck trusts on Providence to help him "I went right along, not fixing up any particular plan, but just trusting Providence to put the right words in my mouth when the time come" (219), so there appear to be remnants of this religiosity.
Delete-Alicia
"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:
ReplyDelete'All right, then, I'll go to hell" -- and tore it up."(214)
I really love the symbolism here. The piece of paper, the note to Ms Watson, represents evertyhing Huck has learned from her, and, by extension society. In this action, Huck rejects everything society teaches, and though terrified that he will have to face moral choices on his own, whithout societal guidance, chooses to become an emersonian "Man thinking". He realises that he can never go back and chooses to damn himself for eternity rather than follow moral conventions that seem and are wrong.
-Alicia