Using Lies to Define Morality of Characters in Adventures...

Mark Twain once said, Lie--an abomination before the Lord and an ever present help in time of trouble. Twains description of deceit gives it a type of double meaning. This idea of lying being used for good as well as evil is not unheard of. Many time people find it necessary to lie to maintain a greater good or save a life. However, all too often, people lie for self-serving, immoral purposes. In this quote, Twain elegantly shows the delicate balance between good and evil in the performance of the same act. Furthermore, Twain also shows this complex thought in his portrayal of characters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twains novel emulates his quote, juxtaposing the good and bad aspects of stretching the truth. Throughout†¦show more content†¦4, 12), frowns upon them . Then, as evidence of the King and Duke?s ability to manipulate others through lies, Twain writes, ?And he always let on that Peter wrote him the things, but that was a lie: he got every blessed on e of them out of that young flathead that we canoed up to the steamboat. Then Mary Jane she fetched the letter her father left behind, and the king he read it out loud and cried over it? (ch. 25, 139). Here Twain displays the Kings contrived attempt of remorse over the death of his so-called brother, his conscience unaffected . These hollow signs of emotion portray the two men?s cold response to a man?s death, as they attempt to profit off of his passing. Similarly, in another instance, ?one of them got on one side of the coffin, and t?other on t?other side, and they kneeled down and rested their foreheads on the coffin, and let on to pray all to theirselves?I never see anything so disgusting? (ch. 25, 138), giving the reader another glimpse of the immoral tactics of the King and Duke . In this situation, the two crooks play off of the sympathy of others so that they might better pry them for money, an act properly referred to by Huck as ?disgusting? (ch. 25, 138). The duo?s spurious act, as a means of swindling innocent townspeople, underlines their immorality by showing how effortlessly they use their guile to delude others and bring upon them great misfortune. Another attempt by the King and Duke to rob people of their money comes when theShow MoreRelatedSelf Reliance In Huckleberry Finn Essay2111 Words   |  9 PagesEmerson. Huckleberry Finn seems to mold perfectly into the words of this quote, validating the truth of what Emerwon is attempting to preach. At a young age, Huck has already been exposed to the devils of the world in some of the most unfortunate ways possible. He has been afflicted by an abusive father, and isolated from society of which he does not fit. What many have learned over a lifetime, he has discovered in only 13 or 14 years. 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