Dissonance in Huckleberry Finn

Huck Finn’s Foolish Decision During the times of slavery in the American South, helping a slave achieve his freedom is looked down upon by the general public and is a socially unacceptable thing to do. In Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn, Huck decides to help Jim, a black slave, to run away. This puts Huck in dissonance with society. Huck’s decision, while being the right thing to do from a modern standpoint, …

…working as does Huck’s adventurous plan. The dangers involved in Huck’s plan are immense. An army of criminals is waiting to take advantage of everyone they find, the weather can be dangerous, and even normal decent people can become dangerous when the freeing of a slave is involved. All these factors, as well as the fact that Huck left a safe, stable environment, make Huck’s handling of his dissonance with society foolish.