A transcendentalist

A transcendentalist is a person who believes people should learns things for themselves rather than just accept things the way they are. Mark Twain is known for his transcendentalist perspective, and it shows through in the character, Huckleberry Finn. The conflict between society and the individual is a theme portrayed throughout Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck was not raised in accord with the accepted ways of civilization. He practically raises himself, relying on instinct to guide him through life. As portrayed several times in the novel, Huck chooses to follow his innate sense of right, but he does not realize that his own instincts are more morally correct than those of society.When Huck crosses paths with Jim, he sees him as an equal; I was ever so glad to see Jim. I warnt lonesome now. Being this concerned for a slave was a shunned idea and it took a lot of intelligence and free-thinking to accept a nigger as an equal. Though today, equal rights seems like a simple concept, Hucks society told him that whites were superior and to free a slave is theft. Huck struggles with societys morals when his God-given instincts provide the better guidance. Huck writes a letter to Miss Watson to return Jim, but he ends up ripping the letter and decides to free Jim. All right, then, I'll go to hell and he tore it up. Here, we see society has tainted Hucks conscience so that he believe he will go to hell for freeing a slave.Though society does have some influence on him, its minimal compared to that of the average guy in the south in the 1870s. From the very beginning of Huck's story, Huck clearly states that he did not want to conform to society; The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me... I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied.