An Unjust Society (Huckleberry Finn)

An Unjust Society

The character Huck in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain shows exactly how unjust society is. They allowed Huck to be taken in by an abusive drunk who can barely take care of himself. During the time the book took place this might have been allowed since the person was his father. Readers now would find it irresponsible for society to allow suck neglect to a child, no matter who the person taking care of them is.

For example, when Huck is explaining to the reader about Pap he says “every time he got money he got drunk; and every time he got drunk he raised Cain around town; and every time he raised Cain around town he got jailed” (21). A person who got drunk a lot and got jailed a lot should diffidently not be allowed near children. Society should have found someone that is capable of taking care of Huck or done more to try and get Huck back to his former guardian the widow Douglas. 

Another time Society was unjust and seemed careless was when Pap kidnapped Huck and took him to his shack on an island in the middle of nowhere. Instead of society sending a law enforcer of some kind to get the boy back to safety and to send Pap to Jail, Widow Douglas is the only one that did something about it, which is having men come get Huck occasionally. That didn’t help because Pap would just scare them away with his gun.

Huck was given to Widow Douglas only because Pap didn’t want him in the beginning, and as soon as Pap found out that Huck is actually worth something because of the money his mom left when she died; he comes right back to find him and make something of this opportunity. This is extremely unfair to Huck and Widow Douglas, because Widow Douglas took care of Huck while Pap was gone. She clothed him she fed him; she even sent him to school and thought him religion for free! Why should Pap just be allowed to barge in kidnap Huck and leave without the Widows consent and her getting anything in return for all her hard work?

This is also unfair to Huck since he was given a great life while he was with the widow, which shouldn’t be taken away from him. In Chapter 5 when Huck was reading a book Pap comes and yells at him for it. “I took up the book and began something about General Washington and the Wars. When I’d read about a half a minute, He fetched the book whack with his hand and knocked it across the house…” (18)” another time he says:

“What’s this?”

“It’s something they give me for learning my lessons good”

“He tore it up and says- “ill give you something better- ill give you a cowhide.” (19)

In this passage it is Huck’s own father who denies his son to read and study but instead makes him do something with cowhide probably not very important for Huck’s future. This is very barbaric and savage like of Pap and should be kept away from a developing brain. Huck should learn things from Books and be civilized and nobody should take that away from him, the community, the whole society should have brought Pap to justice and sent Huck to his first Guardian Widow Douglas.

            As unjust as Society was to Huck the way he feels about it is much unexpected, because he seems to find a way to deal with whatever situation he’s put in. While he was with the Widow he dealt with the customs by simply rebelling and not listening to her. This was understood since he is a child and probably would have learned to behave eventually. Another time is when Pap kidnapped him. Huck hated it in the beginning but the shows the reader its not as bad as we think. “ it warn’t long after that till I was used to being where I was, and liked it, all but the Cowhide part.” (22) Of course Huck likes it to and extent since he’s not being taught anything and is not given as many rules and responsibilities as Widow Douglas made him do, With Pap Huck could smoke and drink without Pap getting mad but with Widow Douglas he was not even allowed to cuss. If society, had done something about it Huck would have learned to like the new way of life which Widow Douglas showed him, and not the savage life he had with Pap.

            Society and government do little to nothing to try and save Huck from becoming like Pap and being abused by Pap. In the instances and points that have been explained in this essay. The reader should be confident that this was a Major error in society and could have been handled much differently.