Top 2 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn quotes
“ Conscience says to me, 'What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean? Why, she tried to learn you your book, she tried to learn you your manners, she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how. That's what she done.’”
Huck, Chapter 16
In the above quote, we witness the moral ambiguity that Huck is forced to confront as he is forced to consider Jim’s desire for freedom against what society has taught him to believe. Innocently, Huck believes that he is robbing Miss Watson by allowing her slave to seek freedom, and this knowledge combats his understanding of Jim as an equal human being with his desires and wants. Huck thinks that he will go ashore and reveal Jim’s plans to the authorities, but when the opportunity presents itself, Huck finds himself unable to proceed with society’s view.
“I bust out a-cryin' en grab her up in my arms, en say, 'Oh, de po' little thing! de Lord God Amighty fogive po' ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisself as long's he live!’”
Jim, Chapter 23
Jim recounts an incident that involved him hitting his daughter for being insubordinate, but he had failed to realize that his daughter’s hearing had been lost due to an illness. This is particular instance is important for Huckleberry since he witnesses Jim experiencing remorse for hitting his child, and Huck has himself been a victim of his father’s physical abuse. In this section, Huck begins to understand the role of a good parent, and his relationship with Jim gains a new depth.
