In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" Mark Twain describes various characters in the story according to his moral and social beliefs. He portrays some characters as admirable or virtuous, and others as unlikeable or amoral. These depictions reflect Twain's sociological, religious, and moral belief system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Twain portrays the story's main character, Huck Finn, in a very positive light. This is no surprise, but when you examine Huck's traits you can see the values ​​that Twain considers desirable. For example, Huck is a very good moral person. This is evident when he helps the runaway slave, Jim, escape slavery by taking a raft down the Mississippi River, and when he foils the scam by telling the truth to Wilks' older sister. Huck was a physically abused son of an alcoholic. This creates sympathy in the reader, making him more likable. His charm, however, lies in his personality. Huck is the embodiment of youthful rebellion and childhood adventure. His freedom from everyday rules and regulations gives him a freedom that other kids his age can only dream of. His rough desire for adventure gives him naturalism. These qualities reach straight to the heart of every boy in Huck's age group, which is why this book has always been so popular among young readers. These qualities could also imply that Twain has a great appreciation for youth and a naturally adventurous spirit. Another character that Twain portrays in a positive light is Jim. Once again Twain uses sympathy to make the reader feel sorry or pity Jim. He is a runaway slave, seen by some as property but portrayed here in a very human perspective. Jim is shown as a person who befriends Huck and misses his wife and children. Jim is humanized in a book where he could easily be objectified. In fact, it was a social norm to treat black people as objects in the book's setting, and many other characters do so. This is relevant to Twain's views on slavery. Twain was known to have anti-slavery beliefs and conveys this idea more openly in some of his other writings. According to Twain critic Jim Zwick, "First made public through the New York Times in 1985 after being authenticated by Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Mark Twain's letter to Francis Wayland is an important document. Unlike Huckleberry Finn, which masks the author's views through both Huck's first-person narration and use of satire, the letter to Wayland directly expresses Twain's thoughts on racism in American society and his conclusion that "shame is ours, not theirs, and we should pay for it." is certainly far from David Horowitz's claims that centuries of slavery have benefited African Americans and that calls for reparations are somehow "a further assault on America." (Zwick). Twain was known to have anti-slavery views, and his humanization and sympathy for Jim is evidence of this. To give an example of a character that Twain despises, we can look at the details of the Duke and the King. The Duke and the King are very high class nobles from another country who engage in very immoral actions. They manipulate and lie in a small town, claiming to be benefactors of someone's death. The scam consists of an attempt to steal a sum of money from the deceased's family. The Duke and King also show Twain's anti-slavery views, because they agree with slavery