Relationship between Huckleberry Finn and His Father

As it happens in the many outstanding works ofget Huck's reward money. Pap lies to the judge
literature, Adventures of Huckleberry Finnthat he is a "new and changed man" with
comprises of several themes developed around adifferent life and his eyes are turned to God now.
central plot. In the case of Mark Twain's novel, itThe next morning, however, judge sees him lying
is a story of a young boy, Huck, and an escapeddead drunk on his porch with a broken arm back
slave, Jim with the description of their moral,to his old ways. This episode certainly doesn't
ethical, and human development during thrillingdepict any fatherly love except Pap's love for
adventures down the Mississippi River that bringsspirits and easy money earned by so much hated
them into many conflicts with greater society.society. He would be an almost a comic figure in
The big society however is not Huck's majorthe novel, if his existence didn't have such a tragic
concern, it's his father who himself is an outsiderimpact on Huck's poor heart. The irony of the
and a rebel. Pap is the one who makes Huck's lifenovel is multileveled and one of its illustrations is
much more complicated than all the rest people indepicted in Pap's monologue, when he condemns a
the world. Although being a father is an importantnation who would allow a black person to vote.
role and a huge responsibility in normal families,This is an unthinkable nonsense to him and yet he
Pap shows no such concern toward Huck. Thehas no right to even say things like that. He
only thing he cares about is getting drunk everytreats his own son worth than a slave, a morally
day until he doesn't remember himself. Pap is adead human claims to know what other people
contrasting figure to Jim who is described in theshould or should not do. Often Pap gets "too
book as the agent of goodness and honesty.handy with his hick'ry," and Huck desires to live
Huck's father is the example of all worlds'that way no more. He decides to escape with a
immorality and filthiness. Even his looks with "longslave Jim, who will become a carrying father for
and tangled and greasy hair and rags for clothes"Huck during their flee down the river. On their
he reminds Huck of his poverty. Pap behaves in away in the episode described in chapter 9, when
very cruel way with Huck, the boy is oftenthey come upon the floating frame-house, they
beaten up and physically abused. Not only physicaldiscover a dead man among the various items.
disturbance is an issue between father and sonAfter Jim looks over the body, he tells Huck to
here, Pap is also against Huck's education. Hecome in the house, but "doan' look at his
resents Huck's ability to read and write, and beface-because it's too gashly." Jim's gesture here is
emerged in religious studies. The world of Widowsimilar to that of a protective parent. In Chapter
Douglas, who agreed to take care of Huck, inthe Last, Jim explains that the dead man aboard
Pap's sick mind, is a dangerous world. He forcesthe house was Pap, and Huck realizes that Pap will
Huck to stop his education thus to return to hisnot bother or abuse him ever again. For a young
roots as Pap puts it. He wants his son to solelyboy to have such cruel, as it may seem, toward
belong to himself as a thing not a human being, tohis dead father is not a common thing. They are
do only what he orders him. He even keeps himtotally justified, though, because of the way Pap
in the forest in the cabin away from the outsidetreated Huck throughout his childhood, because of
world and people who were willing to help, he isthe absence of love and care which Pap never
locked there like an animal.showed. Pap was like a heavy weight which Huck
Under such abusive eye of Pap, Huck attempts tohad to carry everywhere on his small feeble
romanticize his life free from the intrusions of abody, but now the weight was gone forever and
judgmental society and outside civilization. AwayHuck could breathe without fearing of being
from the enforced rules of school and town, Huckslapped for it. Although Huck has a biological father
is "free" to exist according to Pap's rules, whichduring almost the whole novel, a reader is
are liquor and theft. In reality of Huck's existenceconvinced that Jim is the one who plays that role
under Pap, is one where the presence of Pap'smuch better that Pap. After he tells Huck about
fist and racism saturate all of Huck's life -wherehis father's dead body, he helps Huck to come to
Huck is abused and subject to the poison Papa right decision on freeing Jim. By doing such he
spills onto the whole society. Pap is criticizingas if inherits his newly found father's kindness and
society for trying to take away his son, but atworthy qualities that his real father never had.
the same time does nothing to protect Huck, heThis transformation in Huck's mind and life as a
only makes him suffer and feel unwelcome in thiswhole declares his rebirth. He is a new person
life. Pap shows his inner darkness and inability towith new moral views and new family.
love his only son in the passage when he tries to