Chapter 15-22

In Chapter 15, Huck is ignoring his “social responsibility” by not ratting out Jim. Instead, they are headed to Cairo where they can sell the raft for a steamboat and Jim won’t be in danger of being a slave because Ohio is a free state. I can’t seem to figure out just yet if Huck is keeping Jim around because he knows it’s wrong to turn him in or because he knows he needs him. Realistically, a boy out on his own in any time period would not survive, mainly because he doesn’t have the necessary skills to survive. 

Later, in the chapter, Jim smashes up the oar on the raft out of frustration due to his bad dream. We find out that the dream that has Jim all stressed out was one involving Huck getting seriously hurt. (Aw.) 

I love this father-son dynamic developing in this story. Huck has a horrible father. Jim currently has no family. Perfect set up. Although, the father would typically be “in charge” which is not the cast here because at any moment, Huck could give into his social responsibility and turn Jim in. Huck has all the power in the relationship. That is exactly the thought that occurred to him in Chapter 6. 

I think that is when the severity and reality of the situation caught up to Huck in chapter 6. He finally realizes that not only did he run away, but he ran away with Miss Watson’s slave. He’s pretty much sure that he is going to turn Jim in. Not so easy when Jim is telling him how grateful he is, eh? Huck is at a full-blown war with himself, his social responsibility, and what he feels is the right thing do to. 

Huck Finn Chapters 6-15

In Chapter 6 and 7, Huck Finn sort of decides, “To Hell with social responsibility!” Well, not in so many words. After being locked up in an old cabin in the middle of the woods with his father, he gets used to the way his life used to be before the Widow took him in.  Although the Widow, who is trying to get legal custody of Huck, obviously treats him better than his father, Huck decides it would be better for him to just run away (if he could only get out). 

In Chapter 8, Huck realizes that he is not alone on Jackson’s Island; Jim, Miss Watson’s slave is there, too. When he asks Jim why he is there, he makes Huck promise not to tell and Huck hesitantly abides. "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." This gives you the impression that this is just the beginning of Huck’s internal battle between what society portrays as wrong and doing the right thing. Jim explains that Miss Watson was going to sell him which would tear his family apart. 

In Chapter 11, Huck goes into town undercover to investigate what is going on. He learns that Jim is a suspect for murdering him because he escaped the same time Huck was “killed”. Huck goes back to the island and tells Jim that they have to leave immediately. Here, Huck goes against his “social responsibility” of a white man by even telling Jim to leave the island. Any other person who follows the rules of society would’ve ratted him out. 

Huck Finn - Social Responsibility

Throughout the first five chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you already begin to notice how important social responsibility is to the story. As a young boy, Huck is expected to go to church, be polite, go to school, etc, but that’s not really how Huck is programmed to live. Mostly, he just does what he is used to. Miss Watson is sort of the enforcer of social responsibility in the story. On the other hand, Huck’s father is the complete opposite of that idea; he is portrayed as an uncivilized drunk who will get nowhere in life. Huck’s father is a representation of everything Miss Watson is against. I think there’s a part of Miss Watson that considers Huck as charity work. As if though it is her social responsibility to civilize the poor, little boy who has a drunk, dead-beat for a father. At this point, I’m not sure if she genuinely cares about Huck Finn or if she’s taking care of him because she feels like she has to. Huck is more of a “go with the flow” kind of boy. If a routine is set for him, he just goes with it. With Miss Watson, he got used to the idea of school, church, and not cursing, but when his father forced him to stay in that cabin, he got into the habit of doing nothing and cursing a lot.