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complex meaning. The above quote was taken from Mark Twain’s The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn in the thirty-first chapter. Huck's words in this quote
illustrate and directly relate with how modern man copes with what Mark Twain
termed the “inescapable dilemma of Democracy.” In the novel, Huck is faced with
the dilemma of whether or not to return Jim, the runaway slave, back to Jim’s
owner. He, at an early age, is faced with the decision that has plagued man for
ages: choosing what is morally right, even though it is forbidden in society and
popular culture. He goes against the fold and goes with what his heart tells
him. Huck's predicament is Twain’s “inescapable dilemma.” In an essay by Roger
Rosenblatt, entitled “The Bill of Rights, Rosenblatt ends his essay with a
single line: “Downriver we ride together, as ever, free to go to hell.”
Rosenblatt’s final line in his essay makes an important point. It is not just
Huck who is faced with decisions. Huckleberry Finn represents every person who
has ever had to make a decision between what they feel is morally correct and
what society perceives as right. Today Huck's dilemma with whether or not it is
right to help free his eventual friend Jim can be compared with a doctors
decision on whether or not to perform an abortion. The tough decision a doctor
has to make about abortion is an example of an inescapable dilemma that plagues
modern man. In abortion, the doctor is faced with a difficult decision.
Should
he take the life of an unborn child? What if the child was deformed, or was
otherwise going to be born into a possibly unhealthy environment? Is taking away
the opportunity to live life morally wrong or not? There are many more questions
that face the doctor as well as the mother of the fetus. As the mother and the
doctor are faced with this dilemma, sometimes what they feel is morally correct
is not legal- as abortion is illegal in certain states. Huck would definitely be
breaking the law if he freed Jim. Jim is just a slave to most of the people. He
is just property that can be sold or used until it wears out. Huck sees more
than just the slave qualities in Jim. Huck sees life. Similarly many people see
life in an unborn fetus and have real qualms with killing a developing child.
Another example of an inescapable dilemma is guns. Should it be legal for man to
have the power to purchase such an item whose sole purpose is to drain life in
general and human life? With the many stories of accidents because of children
experimenting with guns, safety is an important issue. America is a free country
though, and the Second Amendment under the Constitution, though a limited
amendment, allows citizens the right to bear arms. So is this amendment morally
correct? Equally, Huck has been raised to think that slaves are merely niggers
who aren't equal, but Huck is also a man of nature and sees all squirrels as
squirrels, and all people as people. Huck knows Jim is more than others say he
is, and he isn't about to let Jim lead a life of cruelty because there are other
people who think they are better because they have lighter skin than Jim. Modern
man deals with dilemmas such as these with anguish and frustration. Modern man
has found a way to try to solve his problems, mostly through petitions, rallies,
picketing, and writing letters to Congressmen.
Would one expect to see
Huckleberry Finn writing an angry letter to his Congressman? Would one see him
picketing Jim’s master’s house in Hannibal because he didn’t support slavery? It
is highly unlikely. Instead, Huck simply tears up his note and utters the famous
quote that was quoted in the first sentence of this essay. Huck makes a decision
in himself that goes against society. He does not wait. Huck simply takes the
situation into his own hands. That is what makes him different from modern man.
According to Rosenblatt, modern man needs to be more like Huckleberry Finn.
Modern man needs to simply decide whether an action is morally correct or not,
and act on his decision be it legal or illegal. Huck proved that actions speak
louder than words by ripping up his note to Miss Watson. Thus, modern man needs
to rip up his letters to Congressmen, throw away his signs for picketing, and do
what is morally correct; because that is the only way to cope with the
“inescapable dilemma of Democracy.” Huck fights the power of the all-powerful
society. After Huck tears up the letter he is about to send Miss Watson, Huck is
struck with a sudden guilt. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was
said. And I let them stay said... The guilt does not phase him though. Huck is
willing to give up his afterlife for Jim's freedom now. To me, there could not
be a more compassionate deed. Huck's unselfishness is something we could all
stand to follow. Lessons can undoubtedly be learned from The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn.
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