Right_vs._Wrong__Type_of_Lies_in_the_Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn

Lying, whether for the “right’ or “wrong” reasons occurs frequently throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The “good” lies Huck tells to save Jim are moral opposites from those the duke and dauphin use to swindle civilians out of their money. Scholars often question the morality of these lies. The lies of the characters in this novel have moral differences and Twain uses these lies to pose a question to provoke though in his readers. Huck tends to tell “stretchers” throughout the novel however he usually has honorable motives or intentions (pg11). As Huck and Miss Wasson’s slave, Jim travel down Mississippi River, the two form a father/son relationship rather than the more common slave/ white man relationship. The bond that they form causes Jim and Huck to become protective of one another and Twain shows this in different instances in the novel. At this time in American history it is not uncommon for slave catchers to go out looking for runaway slaves and Huck and Jim run into this during their journey to Cairo. Huck decides to hide Jim under the blanket and say to the slave catchers that “it’s pap” under the blanket and he has “got the smallpox”, which was a deadly disease at that time period (pg101). The slave catchers tell Huck to go to the next town in fear of getting the virus and leave him with a twenty dollar gold piece. In this instance Huck did tell a lie, but not a self-absorbed way. He did this because he cares for Jim and does not want to see him go back into slavery. As the novel progresses, the reader sees a less selfish side of Huck as he begins to consider feelings of others and his moral responsibilities to those he loves. He is willing to “go to hell” for helping free Jim (pg225). Huck is conflicted between the moral obligations southern society has instilled in him and his logic that slavery is wrong. By the end of his and Jim’s adventure Huck learns how to differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad. Because he is a child this is a major breakthrough in him becoming a respectable, upright adult, a lesson that the duke and dauphin did not ascertain. The difference between the lies Huck tells and those of duke and dauphin is that Huck has an ever-present conscience that the con artists do not frequently use. When Huck tricked Jim but after Jim expresses how worried he was about Huck, Huck says “[he] wouldn’t done that one if [he] a’ knowed it would make [Jim] feel that way”. Though Jim is a slave Huck realizes a people slave or not should be treated with decency and that playing tricks on people does not exemplify that. His realization of equality among human beings is also significant in his transformation during the novel. The duke and dauphin are two con artists that lie to unsuspecting southerners for their own selfish benefit. While Huck and Jim continues their adventure on the river they come across two men who claim they are the “Duke of Bridgewater” and the “exiled, trampled-on, and sufferin’ rightful king of France”, which Huck knows is lie (pg133, 135). The foursome makes their way to the Wilks family home and the dauphin and duke convince the family that they are long lost members of the Wilks clan. One of the Wilks sisters then gives them $6000 to invest and the duke and dauphin try to escape with the money. Unfortunately for them, Huck hides the money before they get away. Before Huck hides it, the duke and dauphin contemplate whether they should take the money and they come to the conclusion that they “leav[ing] eight or nine thous’n’ dollars’ worth o’ property layin’ around jest sufferin’ to be scoped in” would make their entire scheme of lying to the family pointless (pg189). Granted the duke questions “rob[bing] orphans of everything they had”, but he ultimately they continues with the original plan (pg187). They keep this masquerade to get the money from the Wilks for their own selfish reasons. They do not consider the family that they will be hurting by stealing their money. The repercussions for others are not a factor in their decision making, which is a significant difference in the way Huck, and the duke and dauphin make decisions. Lies are frequently told in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. There can be many reasons for this. One may be that Twain wants to highlight the moral ambiguity of character’s lies to pose the question to his reader of “what is a “right” or “wrong” lie”' He provides the reader with instances from multiple characters that are examples of both “right” and “wrong” lies. At other times in the novel Twain expresses his opinion on various topics and his opinion on lying is no different. He wants the reader to decide which lies are just and which are unjust lies are; or if there is such a thing as a moral lie. In this novel it is clear there is a difference. Huck’s lies compared to those of the duke and dauphin are considered moral. Huck’s lies are for the good of humanity unlike the duke and dauphin’s. Another possible reason for reoccurring lies is that it develops characters. As explained earlier Huck goes through a transformation during the novel. He starts as child that does not believe in telling “stretchers” and by the end tells lies in order to save his loved ones (pg11). There may be many reasons for Twain incorporating so many lies into this story, but it is certain that there was a definite purpose behind them. In today’s society people lie to get out of doing things, for personal gain, to help someone, there are hundreds of reasons. The real question in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn however is whether the ends justify the means. Does Jim being freed justify Huck lying to his family, friends, or people he does not know' If they had succeeded, would gaining thousands of dollars justify the duke and dauphin lying to innocent people' This is the ever-fixed question throughout human history, which can only be determined by an individual assessment of each situation.