The strongest thoughts I had after finishing the
Questions
Huck’s Emotional Empathy
There is much discussion about the moral development of Huck; almost a half a semester’s worth of deliberation about where Huck derives his morality in a civilization that lacks the faculties to educate the proper ones to him. The discussion goes to that Huck’s experiences and deep inner reflection, evetually shape his view of right and wrong. But one pattern that it is greatly worth note is his sensitivity to his empathy. His decisions are often driven by an act to do right, but one of the most recurring patterns and source of ultimately informs many of his decisions, even hinder moral ones, are ones where he sees people greatly emotionally troubled.
Huck has the choice to reveal everything to the Duke and Dauphins plan to the Wilks daughter, delivering justice to the con men and reassuring her that the slave family that got separated as a result, will eventually be returned. But it is only after he sees the Wilks daughter crying and emotionally troubled that he reveals everything. Next example is Huck, Jim, and Tom’s escape from the Phelps farm, to what is the ultimate resolution to the entire narrative, until Huck’s unwilling return back to the Phelps farm. Huck has put on everything on the line to save Jim, and instead of fleeing the Phelps farm to ensure the success of all that he has worked for, he stays because Aunt Phelps is sad!
This is one of the troubling occurences that prevent Huck from carrying out his behavior to full moral effect, however it is not an entire flaw of Huck’s character. It just means that he is capable of emotional empathy. Something that, say that Grangerfords, Sherburn, Pap, and the entire south were not capable of. Perhaps this is just another characteristic that sets Huck above the rest of his society.
