Morality, though it affects us all, is best captured in the dilemmas of youth. The innocence and untainted nature of a child is the only valid source of honest morals. In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the time period and inherited prejudices from the era in which it is written provide the young Huckleberry Finn with a severe moral dilemma that deals with slavery, honesty, and Huck's lifestyle. Huck fails to overcome the pressures of society and consequentially fosters society's morals due to the overbearing reoccurrence of pressure from society. Huck Finn still manages to provide readers with an ideal display of uncorrupted human morals. Huck goes on a trip down river with an escaped slave, which defies society's morals itself, and encounters many people and situations that require him to reevaluate himself and whether or not he will choose to live his life as society expects him to. Huckleberry Finn often returns to his unresolved moral dilemma about slavery, lifestyles, and honesty throughout his adventures including before he reaches the river, while he is on the river, and once he leaves the river due to the constant introduction of seemingly immoral situations into the plot.
The source of all of Huck Finn's troubles throughout the novel is Huck's battle with his conscience over whether or not he should become civilized to please the Widow Douglas, or live the easy life with his father. This dilemma launches Huck into a journey through many other dilemmas he is forced to deal with when he decides to try and find his own lifestyle down river. Before Huck decides to leave, he undergoes many weeks of internal arguments as he is pulled out of his civilized life with the Widow Douglas, and thrown into a life of painful relaxation with his father. Huck's life with the Widow Douglas is very organized and calm, yet difficult and unyielding.
