‘자기신뢰’적 인간으로서의 허크 연구

A Study of Huck as a 'Self-Reliant' Soul

This essay aims to study Huck in terms of Emerson's 'Self-Reliance.' In "Self-Reliance" Emerson claims that an individual is imprisoned by his socially-constructed consciousness and therefore, needs to rid himself of the conventional thinking and social expectations. Emerson suggests that an individual should follow the voice heard deep inside the mind, thereby leaving himself in the hands of God. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huck breaks from the social constraints and starts his journey along the Mississippi river. Jim, a getaway slave, plays a pivotal role in Huck's achievement of self-reliance. Huck and Jim rescue two men who claim to be the heirs of the English king and the duke. However, they are in fact swindlers. The king sells Jim to Phelps's Farm. On the way to the farm, Huck shows the attitude of leaving himself in the hands of God, but after having arrived, he comes into serious conflict between social conformity and Jim's escape. He, however, eventually follows the voice heard inside the mind. In this way Huck achieves self-reliance.