AdVeNuTuReS oF hUcKlEbErRy FiNn

One thing that really stood out to me in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, especially in the beginning of the book, was Huck's obsession with wealth and material possessions. There are two sections in the book where Huck lists absolutely every single thing that he just got or has at the moment. It goes on and on for nearly a half a page. This shows how Huck is really focused on wealth. At this time, if you had money, you had the power. To Huck, a scared young boy, power is something he wants because it means security to him. By him listing off every single thing, I believe it is reassuring himself that everything will be okay, it is like a coping method. He knows that he has things which means, to him at least, that he has power and power alot of the time can mean security. The people with the power at this time did not have to worry about things, they were secure and were happy with the way their life is, which is something that Huck wants alot. Huck had a hard life, he did not really have a family and he was absolutely terrified of his father. One thing that I think every person wants is security, to not have to worry about things. Huck has never really had security with his life being up and down and never really knowing what is going to happen. By listing things that he has, it is telling himself, Okay I have these things, I have possessions, People with things have power, I have some power, I will be alright. It is also interesting to see when you compare the Huck at the beginning of the book to the how he is at the end of the book. Towards the end of the book, he cares less and less about possessions and more about Jim and the people who he starts to care about. It shows how Huck changes as a person completely, how his priorites are completely different. Even when the Duke and the King come into the story, Huck is disgusting at how they scam people and fool with good people. At the beginning of the book Huck would have been all for scamming people because it would be an adventure. All of these things show how Huck is a dynamic person and how much he has changed.