Themes and characters and short summary of Huckleberry Finn

Themes


The primary theme of the novel is the conflict between civilization and "natural life." Huck represents natural life through his freedom of spirit, his uncivilized ways, and his desire to escape from civilization. He was brought up without any rules and has a strong resistance to anything that might "sivilize" him. This conflict is introduced in the first chapter through the efforts of the Widow Douglas: she tries to force Huck to wear new clothes, give up smoking, and to learn the Bible. Throughout the novel, Twain seems to suggest that the uncivilized way of life is better; he draws on the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his belief that civilization corrupts rather than improves human beings.

The theme of honor is one that permeates the novel. It is first introduced in the second chapter with respect to Tom Sawyer's band: Tom believes that there is a great deal of honor associated with being robbers. This theme can be traced throughout the rest of the book. Huck and...