What Are the Character Traits of Huckleberry Finn?
Huckleberry Finn is a playful, enterprising, mischievous and compassionate boy of about 13 or 14 years old. He is a free spirit who observes the world logically and practically, without judgement, and who constantly struggles with his conscience and society’s rules. He was introduced in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
As the best friend to the main character in Mark Twain’s famous first novel, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” and then the main character of Twain’s follow-up novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Huck, as he is nicknamed, is the son of town drunk “Pap” Finn who regularly beats him. Huck, therefore, spends a lot of time away from home. Huck has no other known relatives, so at first he lives freely and whimsically, much to the dismay of the rest of his town and the envy of his friends like Tom Sawyer. He is later adopted by the Widow Douglas and enrolled in school, forcing him to live a more structured way of life, which he struggles to enjoy.
Huck’s wit and deceitful ways enable him to untangle himself from many difficult situations. He lies, cheats, steals and deceives people to survive as he makes his way down the Mississippi River. Huck always feels conflicted about doing the right thing as he observes inappropriate human behavior around him.
