The hypocrisy of American society in the late 1800s is illustrated in countless ways, page after page in Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Like Huck, Twain himself saw the faults and ignorance of humans: “When I was a schoolboy I had no aversion to slavery. I didn't know there was anything wrong about it. No one brought him to justice before me; the local newspapers said nothing against it; the local pulpit taught us that God approved of it, that it was a holy thing and that the skeptic had only to consult the Bible if he wanted to calm down - then the texts were read aloud to us to be sure of the matter. ; if the slaves themselves had an aversion to slavery, they were wise and said nothing. In Hannibal, we rarely see a slave mistreated; on the farm, never. (Autobiography of Mark Twain) As Twain grew and outgrew his “schoolboy years,” he became a true advocate for equal rights for African Americans. He financed Warner T. McGuinn's college education at Yale Law School. McGuinn, who later became a prestigious African-American lawyer, was the mentor of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Twain also gave to Tuskegee University, the NAACP, and spoke at many African American churches. In the novel as well as in his own life, Mark Twain shows the harms caused by society solely because of ignorance and prejudice. Huck, arrested by the Widow Douglas, quickly rejects the social norms of upper-class American society. “She put me back in these new clothes, and I couldn't do anything but sweat and sweat and feel cramped.” (Twain 1) Huck never really understands the need to wear clothes that aren't comfortable, in fact most of his time spent with Jim on the river they didn't wear clothes...... middle of paper ......anted know; so I knocked on the door and decided not to forget that I was a girl. (41) Most people would have frowned upon a young boy dressing as a girl in those days. Huck's lack of respect for social morals shows how he does not care about being accepted because he does not wish to be part of a society he does not agree with. His time with the Widow Douglas, with his father, his meeting with the Grangerfords and the two crooks all lead to Huck's final decision to leave civilized society for the West. “But I think I have to go to the Territory before the others, because Aunt Sally is going to adopt me and run around with me and I can't stand it. I've been there before. (220) Huck is going to live his life the way he wants despite what society dictates. He is and always will be a survivor. Works Cited The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain