A prevalent theme in the classic novel, Huckleberry Finn is the maturation of the protagonist, Huck. Although Huck was never really one to agree with the conventional morals of society, his good natured and quite sophisticated ideals become more and more apparent as the story he tells is unraveled. While on his adventure with Jim, Huck begins to question issues of slavery and race and comes to some rather unconventional ideas about Southern culture. Huck begins to see Jim as a "real person" and not the inhumane slave that society encouraged he was. Also, it is interesting to observe the advanced moral developments of Huck as an almost perfect contrast to the naive and foolish ways of his good friend, Tom Sawyer, who plays a big role in both the beginning and ending of the novel.
Huck immediately establishes his discontent with the traditions of Southern society when he explains his opposition to being "sivilized" by the Widow Douglas. Huck explains that "it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied (1)." It seems natural for a young boy like Huck to crave freedom, and the way that Huck explains things is in such a humorous way that it is hard to take him seriously. However, when analyzed, Huck's opinions are actually mature observations about the values of life in the South.
Contrary to Huck's perceptiveness, his good friend Tom Sawyer has a whole different outlook on life. If he were to come up with a motto of some sort, it could easily be something like "People are objects for my amusement and the world is my playground." That is not to say that Tom Sawyer is cruel or heartless. He just lacks the understanding and maturity that Huck possesses. Both of the boys maintain an incredible sense of adventure, but Huck is much more logical whereas Tom Sawyer has a head full of fantasy.