Huckleberry Finn is a boy who struggles with complex issues such as empathy, guilt, fear and morality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain . There are two different sides to Huck. One is the subordinate, easily influenced boy he becomes when under the "leadership" of the racist and immoral Tom Sawyer. His other personality emerges when he is alone, thinking about his friendship with Jim and agonizing over who to trust: his heart or his conscience. When Huck's ongoing internal struggle with his duality forces him to make difficult and controversial choices, the reader sees a boy struggling with moral development. And it is, indeed, a struggle. Because, although Huck believes in the rules of the rigidly racist and provincial society in which he lives, a deeper and healthier part of him continues to make decisions that break those same rules. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Because of the society Huck grew up in, his racist mentality is evident throughout the novel. Huck makes many derogatory statements towards Jim, and even though he doesn't realize that what he is saying is wrong, Huck's words leave the reader with a strong impression of his socially ingrained racism. Toward the end of the novel, when Jim risks his freedom to take Tom to a doctor, Huck describes Jim as "white inside" (207). This statement, although intended as a compliment, actually reveals Huck's deeply held beliefs about the inferiority of blacks. Jim is not the only slave whom Huck considers inferior to whites. When Jim tells Huck how he intends to kidnap his children when he gets free, Huck expresses his horror: It chilled me to hear such talk... Here's this nigger I almost helped escape, coming out unprepared and saying he'd steal the his children, children who belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man who had never hurt me (67). Huck's words show that he views slaves only as property. When he thinks of Jim's family members, he does not associate them with his idea of ​​what a white family is; he sees them only as a legally broken-up group of "bought and paid for" relatives. In addition to viewing slaves as property, Huck shows in a brief conversation with his Aunt Sally that he doesn't even see blacks as real people. Toward the end of the novel, when Huck tells his aunt that his boat has run aground, she intervenes by saying, "Good God! Is anyone hurt?"' Huck responds with, ""No. I killed a nigger," at which Aunt Sally replies, "Well, that's lucky; 'cause sometimes people get hurt" (167). This exchange shows not only Huck's racism, but also that of the society in which he lives. Huck's racism is not only evident in his words, but also in his actions, which the reader sees in the form of pranks played on Jim. At the beginning of the novel, when Huck and Tom are sneaking out, Huck agrees to play a prank on Jim by hanging Jim's hat above him on a tree branch when Jim discovers him there, he makes up all sorts of stories about witches who they took around the country. Huck never says a word to Jim about what really happened. The important thing to understand about this practical joke is that it was not Huck's idea, nor was Huck involved in actually performing the trick. Huck blindly follows Tom and never utters a word of remorse for the prank. When Huck is away from Tom, Huck responds very differently when Huck plays a prank on Jim when they are together on Jackson's Island. When Jim is bitten by a rattlesnake after Huck places the snake's dead companion on Jim's bed, Huck becomesfeels rather guilty. He silently throws the two snakes away, saying, "I wouldn't let Jim find out it was my fault, even if I could help it." (40). In this case, Huck is alone, without Tom's influence, and so the result of this circumstance is that Huck feels remorse for his actions. This scene allows the reader a glimpse into Huck's morality and healthy heart. The next trick Huck plays on Jim creates a lot of genuine fear and tension for Jim. It is right after Huck and Jim are lost in the fog and Huck finds and gets on the raft while Jim is sleeping. Jim is so relieved to find Huck safe and sound that he hugs and holds him for a long time until Huck tells him that they were never separated. Jim believes it until he sees evidence that it was, and then scolds Huck:. . . my heart broke because you were los... and all you were thinking about was how you could fool old Jim with a lie. That truck is junk; And trash is what people are that puts dirt on their heads and makes them feel ashamed (65). This remarkable speech came from a slave, supposedly inferior to Huck. Nonetheless, Huck feels terrible and says, "It took fifteen minutes before I could convince myself to go and humiliate myself before a nigger - but I did it, and I never regretted it after that" (65). This is the first time Huck apologizes or shows empathy towards Jim. In his previous antics, he either didn't care at all, or simply felt guilty, but here he shows that he actually cares about Jim's feelings. This progression in Huck shows that his morals are developing along with his friendship with Jim. As Huck and Jim's friendship develops, so does Huck's empathy for Jim. When Huck meets the two men on the river who ask him if his friend is black or white, Huck silently struggles between following his conscience by handing Jim over or trusting his loyal heart. Huck knows what will happen to Jim if he reports him. With Jim's fate in his hands, Huck decides to "give up trying" (68), and so tells the men that his partner is white. This shows Huck's incredible loyalty and also his ability to put himself in Jim's shoes. What would Jim do if the situation changed? This question causes Huck to empathize with Jim once again. However, it is the first time that Huck's empathy makes him commit to keeping Jim safe, which shows another step forward in his moral development. The moment in the novel where the reader no longer doubts Huck's morality comes to a climax. Huck must make an incredibly important decision: turn Jim in or save him from the Phelpses. He stands there, holding the letter, faced with the decision of who to save. If he sends the letter to Miss Watson, he will be free from "sin", while if he helps Jim escape, he must "be ready to go down and lick (anyone's) boots in shame" (160). At the same time, Huck sees Jim's punishment in his mind, sees how happy Jim could be, and recognizes his power to give Jim something Jim has wanted his whole life. Huck's empathy is so strong at this point, that combined with his loyalty and his true heart, it leads him to tear up the letter with the startling exclamation, "'All right, then I'll go to Hell"' (162) . The fact that Huck believes he is giving up his soul for Jim's freedom leaves no doubt in the reader's mind that Huck's morality has truly developed over the course of the novel. A final example of Huck's empathy with Jim is when Jim is so homesick that he cries and complains to himself about his distant children. Huck sees him in this sorry state and says, "I think he cared about his people as much as white people care about their people. It doesn't look like,.