Theme of Huck Finn

In Huckleberry Finn, there seems to be a recurring theme throughout the novel, and that theme is shown mainly through Huck's character, but also Tom's. That theme is, do what you think is right. There are many instances throughout when Huck is with Jim on the raft. Many times they come across a "problem" that can be solved. One example is the Walter Scott. Two "murderers" have a prisioner on board and have him tied up and are going to kill him. This is all going on during a thunderstorm and they see the wrecked ship and go aboard to see if they can use anything. That's when they come across them. Quickly, Jim and Huck think of a plan to strand the murderers on board so they get killed also. If Huck and Jim wouldn't have kept the murderers on the boat, they would have escaped. But due to their actions, they kept justice in play. They did the right thing by giving them what they had coming.
Another example comes later in the book when Huck decides he wants to become a better person and start following the faith. He writes a letter to Miss Watson and tells her that he has Jim is with Mr. Phelps and will send him if she sends a reward. Huck felt like he had done something good and he felt relieved. Then he started to remember all the time he had spent with Jim and how good of friends they had become. He ripped up the note and said, "Alright then, I'll go to hell." Huck has become such a close friend to Jim that he isn't willing to do the right thing and try to keep him out of slavery. In the end, Widow Douglas dies, and she set him free in her will.
Overall, the theme that I have found throughout this book is what we have learned from Henry David Thoreau: Do what your conscience tells you is right and follow it.

May 1st

In chapter 39, Huck and Jim come up with an ingenious plan to free Jim from the Phelps. They are going to find spiders, snakes, and rats to put in the "cell" where Jim is being help prisoner. I was having problems figuring out why they would put snakes in his holding place, but I figured it out, I just had to read a little more. Huck and Tom are going to make a dummy of Jim and lay it on the bed where Jim sleeps. When Sally would open the door, all of the snakes and rats would hopefully scare her and she wouldn't even notice that Jim was gone. But really, if you say "ouch" every time you see something fall or get scared by an noise, I don't think it would take very much to get scared. Jim, however, didn't like the idea of bringing any of those things into the barn, because he was scared of them also, but in order for the plan to be effective, they had to do it. Later on, Huck and Tom need to make the Phelps somewhat aware of what the "slave robbers" are going to do. They think that they will just sit in the house and not really do much about it, but they have full intentions to catch them in the act. They called fifteen farmers and all with guns, planning to catch them in the act. I thought Huck was going to get caught for trying to get out of the house, but Sally thought he was leaking brains instead. But, it was only butter. Huck and Tom successfully got Jim out of the barn and are taking him to the river. The farmers are out and hear Tom get caught on the fence and start shooting in that direction. Tom gets shot in the calf, but all three of them made it safely to the raft and are off to freedom.