by Randy Pinion

Created on: December 16, 2006   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Mark Twain has created, in his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, two characters who are perfect foils for one another's personalities. The well-bred, obedient Tom Sawyer seems totally at odds with the earthier, independent Huck Finn. Somehow, however, the two remain fast friends as their deep differences in upbringing, imagination, and basic morality compliment each other and their similarities draw them together.

The differences between the two no doubt begin with how they were raised. Tom is a rather well to do member of high society, contrasting greatly with his dear friend Huck, who was raised by his abusive drunkard of a father. Such led to Huck's growing up in a chaotic environment that frequently forced him into independence at an early age. Such experiences no doubt distanced him from the well-ordered civilization in which Tom was raised. This is best illustrated by his deep knowledge of survival techniques and general woodsmanship: from knowing which side of trees moss grows on to knowing how to remain self-sufficient in the woods for extended periods of time, Huck shows his more down-to-earth nature early and often.

Tom's upbringing leaves him a well-read lad with a brilliant, vibrant imagination. Conjuring up daring plots and exciting adventures from the pages of the books he read earlier in life is no problem for the young man. However, this leaves him dependent on these books as sources of his made-up realities, which never quite meshes with Huck's way of doing things. Huck's early life has left him infinitely more practical, and his imagination shows this clearly. He is able to easily fashion a story to suit the needs of any situation, such as his posing as an abused farmer's apprentice when his disguise (He was dressed up as a young girl in order to gather information about his own faked murder) is found out as fake by a clever townswoman. Furthermore, he cannot comprehend Tom's nearly religious dedication to the way things are "'sposed to be." Huck's ways of thinking often collide with Tom's canned adventures, leading him to have no fun in terrorizing a group of Sunday school children who are, in Tom's mind, a group of rich foreign traders ripe for the robbing, amongst other things. Nonetheless, in the end, Huck is always content to follow his friend's lead.

Where Tom leads Huck and where Huck would like to go are often at odds, however, due to deep-rooted dissimilarities in their basic moralities. Tom, ever the follower of society,

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