As Huck takes to the river, running away from his problems become less of an option. Jim and Huck are occasionally at odds. For instance, when the fog came in and Jim thought Huck was lost, Huck tried to make Jim believe that he was on the raft the entire time. This juvenile action quickly got out of hand, and Jim is hurt by Huck’s poor decision, “En all you wuz thinking’ ‘bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren’s en makes ’em ashamed” (85). As Huck was looking for a quick joke, Jim genuinely cared for Huck’s well being. The friction of their two motives calibrates Huck’s moral compass, and Huck learns about compassion. “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble my self to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterward, neither” (86). Huck’s ability to listen to his conscience enabled him to deal with a problem in a fashion that Huck had never experienced before. “I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d ‘a’ knowed it would make him feel that way” (86). Huck expands on his toleration skills as other characters come into his life.
Huck discovers the pains of royalty, as the King and the Duke become part of the adventure. “It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds” (125). Huck tolerates the frauds through compliance, apposed to his previous methods of avoiding and lying his way around problems. “…I never said nothing, never let on; kept it to myself; it’s the best way; then you don’t have no quarrels, and don’t get into no trouble. If they wanted us to call them kings and dukes, I hadn’t no objections, ’long as it would keep peace in the family” (125). Derived from Huck’s episode with Jim on the river, Huck’s conscience was instilled with compliance. “I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way” (125). Huck’s way of complying differs with the overall sought outcome of a situation. Like in the scenario of the King and the Duke, they were going to be with Huck no matter what, and if they wanted people to refer to them as the King and the Duke it did not do anyone any harm. In all, Huck figures that as long as he is not affected by the outcome he should not bother with the means.
Huck’s ability to understand and comply with others was brought about by his experiences on his travel down river. Perhaps his passives tactics were something he knew the entire trip but it took a catalytic moment, like the one Huck shared with Jim in the fog, to make him realize the importance of complying with others. Huck’s adventure ends with him going to live with Aunt Sally, which in a way is Huck being given a second chance in civilization. “Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before” (293). One can not predict what Huck will do as Aunt Sally tries to civilize him, but I can reckon that Huck will be able to tolerate the process with a degree of compliance that is filled with a new found compassion of others.
