Social Responsiblity-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Social Responsibility is one of the earliest themes introduced to us in the beginning of the novel.  After we are giving a little flashback of Huck's life in Mark Twain "The Adventures Tom Sawyer," when he is taken in by widow Douglass.  While he is her the widow and her "annoying" sister try to install some manners into him by teaching him christian values as part of his social responsibility. During the time period which Huck lived, people were religious (more than now) and tried to follow good Christian values so they could hopefully get into heaven. This was no the case for Huck who really didn't fit into that society, he was more anti it.  He did not see a point in doing good for others or praying to go to heaven, he's rather go to hell where all the bad (Tom) would be.  "Then she told me about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there" (Twain 3).  Huck does not care about religion and doesn't take the responsibility to follow it especially if its about dead people (Moses).

During the end of the five chapters read his father, who people said was dead came back, but not to his surprise.  His dad arrives in an unpleasant manner after finding that his son is doing better than anyone in his family has ever did (reading). " Your mother could't read, and she couldn't write, nuther, before she died.  None of the family couldn't, before they died" (Twain 20).   Getting an educations and learning to read was a responsibility that in society,Huck had to take regardless of his family's uneducated past. But, that was not the only reason why his father came, he wanted money and since he knew that Huck had him he needed to get Huck back out of widow Douglass.  He wanted custody of Huck again and he went to court to achieve this goal.  The new judge only granted him back custody because he truly believe that Huck's dad would change his ways and most importantly it was his "Social Responsibility" too.  The Judge felt that it was right of a father to take care of his son and his responsibility as man of society.