Posted: Sunday, November 11, 2012 3:42:19 AM
Mark Twain once said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel by Mark Twain, is about a boy named Huck who has many adventures along the Mississippi River. Throughout the bildungsroman, Huckleberry Finn finds himself in tough dilemmas and conundrums in which he goes against the teachings and wishes of society in order to protect the people closest to him. Huck listens to his own conscience and intuitions making decisions that he believe is ethical. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has inspired me to an individual by making decisions that I deem fair and just.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck helps Jim, a runaway slave, escape from his owner by heading down the Mississippi River and head up into the free states where Jim can live without harassment and persecution. His morals are above that of a society’s because he does not do what society expects him to do. He goes against the immoral teachings of society and does what he thinks is right. Huck’s action would have been ridiculed by society. Instead of listening to the rules of the culture, Huck listens to his own conscience and makes decisions based his own intuition. He realizes the wrong-doings being committed by civilization around him and decides to take action. By being loyal and protective of Jim, Huck’s growth throughout the novel shows that his actions are not influenced by what society believes.
The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn has inspired me to be an individual by not conforming to society. By being a maverick, I make my decisions on what I judge is morally right and not by what society expects me to do. In society there are certain customs that people are anticipated to behave and act. One example is that the majority of society is against same sex marriage. Even the beliefs of my religion are against the notion that two people of the same sex can get married. I, however, do not believe that preventing two people in love to get married is morally right. Being inspired by Mark Twain, I support the legalization of same sex marriages because that is what I believe is morally right.
Mark Twain has inspired me to not always side with the majority. The principles and beliefs of the majority are not always ethical and fair. Man must think for himself and make decisions based on what he believes is right. By not conforming to society, Huckleberry Finn has taught and encouraged me to be an individual.