There has never been a time in which individuals did not feel oppressed by society in one way or another. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is set by Mark Twain in the pre-civil war era, when both racism and slavery were at a highpoint. In the novel, the main character, Huck, is faced with having to "decide, forever, betwixt two things,"(192), things which are highly controversial at that point in time. Because of the controversial matter of his decision, Huck has a hard time deciding what to do and he is torn between what he thinks is right and what he is told is right. Through Huck's struggle of conscience and his uneasy conclusions, Twain portrays the idea that sometimes what feels right, contrary to popular belief, may actually be right; this can also be illustrated through the evolution of opinions on racism and slavery in society.
For Huck, Jim's skin color does not interfere with the fact that he is a friend; Huck not only has difficulty finding any faults in his relationship with Jim, but, also, does not like the idea of separating from Jim. Huck "set down and cried, [he] couldn't help it,"(189) when he comes back to the raft after leaving the duke and the dauphin behind and cannot find Jim anywhere. Crying is an undeniable human emotion, which shows the reader that he not only cares deeply for Jim but, also, is worried about him. This leads the reader to believe that Huck will do anything he can to find Jim and continue to help him to his freedom. Huck is thinking of reasons to validate his letter to Miss Watson, snitching on Jim, when his thoughts drift back to when he was on the raft with Jim in the Mississippi, "but somehow [he] couldn't seem to strike no places to harden [himself] against [Jim], but only the other kind" (192). Huck only being able to think good things about Jim portrays a true sense of friendship felt by Huck between himself and Jim. This shows the reader, once more, that Huck cares about Jim; and that Huck's caring causes him to want Jim joyful and free, rather than be subjected into slavery.