Two moments from the novel immediately come to mind - the
Grangerford episode and Huck's escape from Pap Finn.
Early
in the novel, Huck is challenged to escape from the abuse and exploitation of his
father, Pap. To pull off the escape, Huck has to fake his own death. This is not merely
a feat of wit and cunning, but also a moral challenge as Huck must come to terms with a
complete break from his past (including his friends and
guardians).
Huck's willingness to fake his death and take
the risk of escape demonstrates his adventurous spirit and his intelligence. He copes
with the aftermath fairly well, especially after finding Jim on the
island.
This episode is important for many reasons, one of
which is that Huck's desire to be free from undue oppression is articulated
clearly.
Later, Huck encounters an ideal family in the
Grangerfords only to discover that they are driven to madness by a feud. Outside of the
feud, the family is kind, intelligent and generous. However, they choose to maintain a
running dispute with another family that leads often to death and always to
danger.
The significance of this episode is also
multifaceted. One false idea is enough to destroy a whole family. This idea recurs in
the novel in various guises.
Huck learns here also that
love and hate can coexist. Kindness and rampant aggression coincide in the Grangerfords.
Associating himself with the family, Huck puts himself in physical and moral danger.
This danger is also repeated throughout the novel, but Huck meets it in relative
innocence at this point in the novel.
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