Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain ~ circa 1884
Commentary by David Speidell
“All I wanted was to go somewhere; all I wanted was change” forms the central idea of
Huckleberry Finn’s story. From the story’s beginning to this story’s end Huckleberry’s
life confronts the numerous challenges of conflict with his own outcry. Huck’s plea is
for: freedom, autonomy, companionship, non-Quixotic practical methods, mutual respect,
good luck, and providential support. All of these conditions are reflected in Huck’s first
family formation and all are worked out progressively throughout the story. Paramount
to Huckleberry’s character formation is his desire to be a member of Tom Sawyer’s gang.
It is Tom’s romantic values and his excitement for life’s pursuit as well as his “style” of
life that draws Huck further onward toward a more enduring value or wholeness.
In the background to this literary satire, shadowing Huckleberry’s early formation is an
abusive, alcoholic and demon-possessed father who haunts Huck’s personal values and
holds Huck to lying and stealing things. While in the foreground of Huckleberry’s story,
disciplining Huck’s early formation, is an authoritarian and overbearing, but caring foster
mother whose governance by society's values of “regular” principles stays with
Huckleberry throughout his journey.
At the center, enchanting Huck and his early spiritual formation, is a seemingly ignorant
and superstitious black slave, Jim, whose wise counsel and advice shapes Huckleberry’s
moral behavior and ultimately connects him to his longed for plea. Overall,
Huckleberry’s plea is about his need for a real social connection with others that is
constituted by providence to form the values and conditions of peace and mutual care for
one another, like those sublime feelings of floating down a mighty flowing river.
The closing of the story sums up the central idea about “Adventures” whose movement
down the river is from one challenge to the next. Huck’s story: “All I wanted was to go
somewhere; all I wanted was a change” comes to its conclusion and climax and in new
ways its very beginning - not in a circular way but an ongoing stream of life. A stream
that is just like Huck’s desire for an enduring value and lasting wholeness. Real
friendship and solidarity concerning others, that is the witness that is not a random drift
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along the river of life, but a purposeful intention to help others with an abundance of
rewards for that most valuable meaning of life - wholeness. All of which is summed up
by Huck’s last words: “to light out to the territory ahead of the rest” is not just his heroic
or courageous cry or attitude; but what matters most is not money and not even comfort
of life but what matters most is an enduring value of mutual respect and concern for each
other as the everlasting journey continues.
Huck’s plea and the story’s point is certainly everyone’s potential reward in finding true
friendship. However, on the other hand, Tom Sawyer’s vision reveals an alternative
evasion of honor and glory imagined to be real. Tom Sawyer’s singular mission is his
own personal ambition of self-aggrandizing and drama. As Tom indicates from the
beginning in Chapter 1: “Now we’ll start this band of robbers and call it Tom Sawyer’s
gang. Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath and write his name in blood.”
Tom, by setting his defined criteria of loyalty is not setting the criteria as a recognizable
adventure toward wholeness. Tom sets the enduring value in an evasive way. Not mutual
respect and concern for all; but to another criteria, with a written doctrine all about the
hero himself and his gang in their imaginary life as gang members who can have (own)
the glory and honor. Tom’s vision is of thieves of the real merits of the hero’s life with
no engagement of any adventure and real danger at all. Tom Sawyer’s last words are to
live in style and comfort owning nothing but good intentions to the way things are - and
by his oath a complete avoidance of the adventure of life.
How does the story end? The story ends with three visions of the territory ahead. Huck
sees the territory ahead as the future to engage in an adventure to be filled with new life wholeness - the enduring value. Tom, on the other hand, understands the boundaries of
his life and imagines a real need for peace and comfort that is confirmed by a static and
prescriptive oath or in other words an evasion of wholeness. Jim, in a condition of
wholeness accepts the way things are and the value of being socialized into Tom
Sawyer’s gang. Tom Sawyer’s gang may be thieves of all; but, Jim is just plain thankful
to be here and especially since so many signs of his own release and wealth are soon to
be realized. Like Jim says at the beginning of the story, surrounded by fellow slaves, Jim
answers their questions about witches. Jim answers his own rhetorical question stating in
the context of his own real personal experience and gift of being able to read “signs” of
blessing without the deceit of mischief: “Hm! What you know about witches?” For Jim,
right from the first of the story all the way to the last, all the blessings of this life are
secure knowing the signs of his own wholeness and his own will to evade the witches of
mischief.
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