Huck and Jim spend a large amount of time together on the raft and throughout different adventures. Through these, we get a glimpse of two different perspectives on the culture they grew up in. They both grew up in the same time and environment, but from two completely separate worlds. One grew up with an abusive alcoholic father and a proper religious widow, while the other grew up as an imprisoned and persecuted black boy.
You can see the differences in their lives from how they react to certain situations. When Huck places a rattlesnake skin in Jim's bed, it's mate comes and bites Jim. Jim automatically assumes it was bad luck because it is supposedly bad luck to handle a dead snakes skin. Huck is less superstitious and considers the reason behind what happened. These two different perspectives show what they were taught and continue to think.
Near the end of the book, Huck begins to understand where Jim is coming from and how much his freedom means to him. He has agreed to help him gain his freedom the whole time but only then really realizes how important their little quest is. He says, "All right then, I'll go to hell.", because he knows that what he is doing is morally right no matter what everyone around him is feeding him.
How is this same principle present in our own lives? What are some examples of situations you've been in, that people have reacted differently because of how they were raised or what they experienced?
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I have friend's who's parent's give them almost no freedom when it comes to doing anything physically dangerous and don't care if their kids drink, cuss, or get bad grades, while other parents seem to be the exact opposite. Neither are healthy environments to grow up in and I don't really know which is worse. It makes a big difference on a person the way their parents raise them, but I think you'll find that people with over protective parents are better off than ones who have self-centered that neglect them.
ReplyDeleteWow, Pickle! This is awesome! But you're definitely right about that. I remember from our essential questions last year, that how our parents raise us impacts our life greatly. They establish a sense of right and wrongs, give us morals that they believe, and most of the time try to point us in the right direction. How Huck and Jim were raised was completely opposite, and it showed in different parts of the story.
ReplyDeleteOne example of this in my life is dealing with mentally challenged students. I've gone to Special Olympics numerous times, and Life After School. Having my mother be a Special Ed./Emotional Support Teacher definitely played a role in how I feel about them. She's raised me to be respectful and appreciative of kids with disabilities, which would probably lead to me wanted to be that kind of teacher when I get out of college. But anyhow, I absolutely love being around them, and watching their strengths come out in different situations or activities. Not only because of my mother, but I have a mentally challenged uncle who was always around when I was little at home. Some people I try to talk to about Special Olympics or something like that say something like, "Why do you waste your time doing something like that?" I've come to understand that they haven't been able to be around kids or people like that, and don't really know how to react.
I like your post, Pickle!