Thursday, March 21, 2019

What makes Huck decide to run away and resist being “civilized” from Miss Watson and her sister, Widow Douglas?

You have to understand that, for Huck, the so-called civilized world is something he's not used to. He's spent virtually the whole of his short life living as a child of nature, eking out a hardscrabble existence off the land. So buckling down to the kind of neat, ordered lifestyle that the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson have in store for him is a bit of a culture shock, to say the least.
Huck knows that the widow and her sister mean well, but he just can't fit into a daily routine of clean clothes, regular mealtimes, and rigorous bible study. He's like a fish out of water in this buttoned-up environment, and though he tries his best to conform, he knows deep down that he's fighting a losing battle. Huck's just too much of a free spirit, too much of a force of nature, to be tied down to any one place for any length of time. He desperately needs to breathe the sweet freedom of the open air once again. So he decides to escape.


Huck is in his early teens by the time he is being fostered by the Widow Douglas, and it is a bit too late in his development to change some habits that have become ingrained. Huck has had no religious upbringing or instruction, so the Widow Douglas's habit of going to church and saying grace before meals has no resonance (and makes no sense) for him. He is used to going barefoot, living outdoors when he pleases, and wearing clothes that don't restrict his movement. She won't allow him to smoke, either.
Miss Watson's efforts to teach Huck are equally futile. He has no desire or patience for her lessons, and he has a hard time sitting still. She micromanages his posture and admonishes him when he yawns with his mouth open. Huck does not value what the two women do, and the two women don't understand what is important to him. He is a pragmatist content with living outside society, and so his departure from their well-intentioned ministrations is inevitable.

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