Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Theme of Rules and Order

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents a slew of conflicting rules. Narrator Huck Finn struggles in choosing between religious rules, his own moral instincts, the country's laws, and the relativist justifications of the conmen called the duke and king. From rules of honor and principle amidst feuding families to childlike views of the world as something fantastical, Huck Finn explores the contradictions between these different systems and the effect such conflict can have on a young boy. When thinking about the big decisions Huck is faced with, we can’t help but think of one of those posters hanging on middle school wall: "What’s popular is not always right, what’s right is not always popular." We think Huck would agree with that. We could also edit that maxim to say that the law isn’t always right, and Tom Sawyer isn’t always right, and preachers aren’t always right... but Huck has to figure out what is the right thing to do.

1. Huck is presented with different systems of morality from all these different people. What are these systems, exactly, and how are they different?
2. There are a few instances of mobs and lynching tossed in to the book. To what degree do these mobs replace the real laws of state? Which norms end up being more powerful? You should check out Sherburn’s speech. He tends to touch on mobs, and by touch we meet harp.
3. What system of rules is Jim operating under?

Although Tom’s system of acceptable behavior is childish in nature, its foolishness is matched by the essentially absurd nature of slavery and southern morality.

Despite much debate and consideration, Huck is ultimately unable to define for himself a new system of behavior separate from that of the South.