In the book titled Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain the
reader is introduced to a wide range of humor and a theme of innocence and
freedom.  Twain effectively criticizes society without doing it directly by
using the observations and insights of the character Huck.  From these
observations and insights of society the character Huck is able to create his
own moral understandings and not what is imposed upon him by society’s
standards.  Twain allows the reader to see this increased enlightenment and
moral development of Huck several times throughout the story.   
   The first show of Huck’s progression towards his moral development occurs when
Jim gives Huck a lecture about how if you play mean tricks on your friends then
you must be trash because Huck played a mean trick on him (94).  Huck takes what
Jim has said to heart and begins to feel remorse for playing the mean trick of
pretending that everything that had taken place during the fog was a dream. Huck
exhibits his feelings of guilt when he says, “It was fifteen minutes before I
could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger—but I done it and I
weren’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither”(95).  Jim is influencing Huck’s
character for the better because before when Huck and Tom played the mean trick
of making Jim believe that witches had visited him during the night, Huck
thought that it was hilarious, a good time and not mean at all.
   Next Huck is seen struggling with the realization of Jim nearing his freedom as
they travel further down the river together towards Cairo.  At one point when
Huck hears Jim going on and on about how he’s almost as good as free Huck begins
to feel his conscience telling him that he’s going to be blamed for letting Jim
go free (110).  So Huck starts out towards a raft with two men on it and decides
that he’s going to turn Jim in, but when the moment comes he doesn’t because the
words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth.  Huck tells lies to the two men on
the raft to protect Jim and he has a guilty feeling afterwards, but not for long
because of his justifies his actions by his reasoning of the situation.  Huck
reasons, “What the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do
right, and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same” (113).
This deduction of the situation made Huck feel more at ease with his conscience
because he had now decided that it was fine with him to do right or
wrong—whatever the circumstances called for he would do the most beneficial of
the two.
   A while after Huck and Jim get mixed up with the scoundrels, King and Duke, Huck
begins to comprehend that Jim is an actual person.  When Jim is moaning and
upset about missing his family Huck hears him crying out loud at night about his
family and thinks to himself, “He was low and homesick because he hadn’t ever
been away from home before in his life, and I do believe that he cared just as
much for his people as white folks does for theirn” (170).  From listening to
Jim, mourn for his family Huck is able to acknowledge that Jim reacts to being
homesick the same way anyone else would.  The more time that Huck is around Jim
the more he is beginning to piece together in his mind that Jim is a normal
person, an equal person, not a slave person, but someone who has emotions,
dreams and feelings just like white people.  Huck is figuring out for himself
what is true in life from his own experiences not from what other people are
telling him or wanting him to believe.   
   Finally, the most important and evident indication that Huck is now creating his
own rules for his life occurs when he declares, “All right then, I’ll go to
hell”, after he is debating with himself about whether or not he should turn Jim
in (223).  At this point it is clear to the reader that Huck cares enormously
for Jim, enough to go to hell.  This is understandable because Jim has done
nothing but good things for Huck and has taken care of him all throughout their
trip down the river together.  In a way it is almost as if Huck is sacrificing
himself and everything that he has been taught about right and wrong for his
friend Jim.  Huck arrives at the crucial decision to not turn Jim in because
Huck realizes that he needs to be true to himself, and not to live for other
people’s expectations of him.   
   Through Huck’s experiences and the conclusions that he made based on those
experiences Twain’s audience is able to gain a greater understanding of society
and it’s influences on people’s thoughts and actions.  Twain’s carefully crafted
character Huck creates a powerful statement about morals and individuals. 
Individuals need to have the courage to do what they believe in themselves to be
right, like Huck, or else things will never change.