The character that Twain chose to represent morality and maturation is none other than Huck Finn himself. Throughout the novel one sees many signs of change. The setting is constantly fluctuating, except for the constant Mississippi, and Huck and Jim, a runaway slave, under-go many changes themselves. At the end of the novel Huck Finn shows a large change in his level of maturity than he had exhibited in the beginning of the book. .
As the book begins, Mark Twain gives the reader a view of a little boy and his best friend. The reader gets a brief overview of events that place the friends in their current positions. Twain shows this position to give the reader an introduction to Huck Finn. As the story opens, the reader quickly grasps the idea that Huck Finn, by nature, does not show the ideas of "civilization". This "civilization", which is forced upon Huck by the Widow Douglas, shows how Huck gets to be so rebellious and immature. Huck's immaturity is further displayed in his attitudes towards black people. Huck and Tom, Huck's friend, are constantly attributed to pranks played on a slave named Jim. In general, it appears as though Huck is a follower of his friend Tom Sawyer. Huck must conform to Tom's ritualistic ways, straying from his own practical ways. It seems as though Huck is incapable of making his own decisions. Huck always followed Tom in his silly childish games, like pretending they were pirates. In these childish games the immature children would pretend to "stop stagecoaches and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money." These games, based off of what Tom had pieced together from novels, demonstrated the lack of maturity of the boys. In this opening setting the reader views one side of Huck, one of immaturity mainly dominated by Tom Sawyer. This view seems to radically change as time progresses. .
The first time that Huck Finn is shown is shown to be varying from the original immature figure that he is displayed as in the opening of the novel, is when Huck goes to Jackson Island.
