The human mind and its complexity have baffled the scientific community. The desire to seek knowledge through experience still challenges the minds of many, however, Thomas C. Foster exemplifies this by labeling it as the “true reason for a quest.” As understanding of the human mind expands, the distinction of factors that contribute to making decisions and forming moral positions based on them becomes clear. In Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn is a police commissioner who transforms and changes his moral positions as the novel develops. Mark Twain conveys the emotional tension that weighs on Huck from the beginning of the novel. Having a complex relationship with his abusive father, Huck decides he wants to run away and go on a quest. In reality his journey meant much more; its surface value met Foster's component criteria for a mission. After being freed from his abusive father, he found a place to go, a stated reason for going there, and faced trials and challenges along the way. On a psychological level, Huck's trauma, caused by his abusive father, can be viewed through the mindset or lens of negative feedback mechanisms. A child's mental state can change after being brutally beaten, leading to serious altercations in decision making. These life-altering events include moral decisions made by Huck as the novel unfolds. The struggle between pleasing society and valuing Jim's friendship creates a gap between what is morally right for him and what society wants him to think is morally right. Huck's decisions open his eyes to the normative nature of racism in society. However, he decides to persevere these social views by freeing Jim. By saving Jim, he not only shows society that it is blinded by racism, but rather that he was able to overcome the discrimination that was present. More importantly, this moral conflict creates a shift in his development as a protagonist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Huck's moral development has impacted his perception of the world and his moral growth as a character. His internal and external factors played a significant role in the creation of the child who left his father to the man who stood up to society. Nature also played a role in influencing Huck's decisions and moral stances. The river introduced him to harmony, stability and friendship creating the message that Huck's life was based on. Furthermore, the contrast in society's rhetoric created a divide that helped shape Huck as a character. The overall motif of the quest shows Huck's ability to move away from conventions and prejudices without compromise, but rather to develop his moral point of view along the way. Mark Twain demonstrates that in society, despite the natural assumption that all is lost, there is a boy fragility who will become a man who questions society as a whole. As humans continue to discover the complexities of the human mind in its imperatives, we come to understand as a society that the decisions we make will define us as moral beings. Individuals make decisions that define who they are on a moral spectrum of conceptual thinking. Huck represents this idea of getting ahead in society, whatever he feels is morally right. Works Cited Arnett, J. J., & Jensen, L. A. (2002). A congregation of one: Individualized religious beliefs among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 17(5), 451-467. Bandura, A. (1986)..
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